Article Summary –
April Chirdon, a certified nursing assistant at Haida Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, expresses concern over potential Medicaid cuts proposed by congressional Republicans to fund tax cuts and mass deportation plans. The proposed cuts could significantly impact Pennsylvania’s health care system, particularly in rural areas where Medicaid is a crucial funding source, potentially leading to hospital closures, job losses, and reduced access to care for vulnerable populations. The potential Medicaid cuts are expected to exacerbate current staffing issues in nursing homes, threatening their survival and causing widespread disruption in communities dependent on these facilities for employment and essential health services.
For 17 years, April Chirdon has provided compassionate care at the Haida Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Hastings, Pennsylvania. In this small Cambria County town, Chirdon supports patients for whom the nursing home is a final sanctuary.
“They’ve become family,” said Chirdon, a certified nursing assistant. “You grow close with them and their families. It’s heartbreaking when they pass away because it feels like losing a family member.”
Chirdon now fears for her patients as congressional Republicans propose Medicaid cuts, potentially affecting three million Pennsylvanians, including long-term care residents, children, pregnant individuals, and people with disabilities.
Republicans aim to cut Medicaid to fund President Trump’s tax cuts and deportation plans. The GOP-led House passed a budget resolution proposing $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $2 trillion federal spending cut over ten years, mandating $880 billion from Medicaid and Medicare.
“What will happen to patients unable to care for themselves?” Chirdon asked. “They can’t be sent into the streets. Where will they go?”
Hospital closures and job loss
Health care advocates warn that Medicaid cuts could devastate Pennsylvania’s health care, especially in rural nursing homes and hospitals that depend on Medicaid. Hundreds of thousands could lose coverage, and 42,000 jobs may vanish, says the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates 1.2 million Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid, while a Commonwealth Fund report ranks Pennsylvania fourth in potential job losses due to Medicaid cuts.
In rural areas, job losses could hit hardest as local health systems are often key employers, said Patrick Keenan of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network. “Medicaid cuts will lead to job loss, reduced care access, and force patients to travel further for essential health care,” Keenan said.
Rural hospitals, already financially strapped, might close due to a surge of uninsured patients. This could drive away primary care doctors, worsening the decline in rural populations, Keenan added.
Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, warned that hospital closures and coverage losses would ripple across the health system, impacting community health centers and clinics, which provide crucial care to low-income patients.
The fallout when nursing homes close
Pennsylvania nursing homes, where 64% rely on Medicaid, face closure risk. Rural homes, often fully Medicaid-dependent, are particularly vulnerable, Davis indicated.
Chirdon noted that understaffed nursing homes will struggle further as Medicaid cuts would diminish funds for salaries and benefits. “Understaffed facilities will find it impossible to fill already low-wage, limited-benefit positions,” she said.
Chirdon described the staffing crisis as the worst she’s seen in 17 years, exacerbated by the pandemic and low compensation. “Medicaid cuts will pressure the workforce, risking more departures or dissuading new applicants,” she warned.
A nursing home closure would devastate Hastings, impacting local businesses reliant on the facility. “We’re the only option for miles,” Chirdon noted. “If we close, the entire community feels it.”
With Congress weighing Medicaid cuts, nursing home workers and residents are anxious. Chirdon expressed concerns: “Will we have jobs? Where will residents go? Families are worried they can’t provide home care if facilities close.”
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