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WILLIAMSPORT -- Beginning in January, it is projected that around 300,000 residents of the state could lose their Medicaid benefits following passage of what has been called the "One Big Beautiful Bill" by Congress last year.
According to the state's website, 17,967 Pennsylvanians will lose Medicaid coverage in the 9th District represented by Dan Meuser and 15,215 in the 15th District represented by Glenn "GT" Thompson.
At this month's meeting of the Lycoming-Clinton Joinder Board, Keith Wagner, executive director, addressed the effect that could have on their clients and the funding the Joinder receives.
"I am very concerned about it because the cuts to Medicaid or the potential loss of Medicaid affects the Joinder in two different ways. The people once they lose Medicaid, then the base funding, which we all know is very flat funded year over year, is going to need to be used to backfill, and we don't have enough to cover those. So people may end up being on wait lists waiting for service," Wagner said.
"At the same time, the amount of money we get for Health Choices is based on the number of individuals in the county who have Medicaid. So as that number goes down, they reduce the amount of money we receive in Health Choices, which has already happened," he said.
At this point in the year, the Joinder should be at 58 percent of the Health Choices revenue, but because of the reduction, that number is down.
To alleviate this, Wagner said that they have hired a caseworker who is specifically going to focus on tracking people to make sure that they renew every 90 days.
Through this point in the year, we should be at 58% of the Health Choices revenue, but because of the reduction in the number of people, we're actually only got 57% So what I'm doing to try to try to help this, I have hired a caseworker who is specifically going to focus on tracking people to make sure that they renew more often, according to the new regulations.
"Making sure if they have problems that we have the ability to go into the public assistance office data system and help them get signed up again. It may be that she won't be enough, but I'm starting with her to try to head that off because it could be very bad," Wagner said.
When asked what could be done, Wagner said that it's important for legislators to be "aware of the impact of the loss of Medicaid."
"If the individual loses it, their need for service doesn't go away, and so it shifts that need to that base money that they are often reluctant to increase, which means people may end up not getting served, and we're already starting to see that," Wagner said.
"They're going to have families contacting them. I note down here in Williamsport there's a large group of homeless people who kind of come to everyone's attention because they're not getting the service, because they don't have a means to pay for it, and we don't always have a means to help them. So helping keep the legislators aware of that would be very helpful," he added.
Inc. for blended case management services at rates between $34.13 and $49.50 per quarter hour, not to exceed $25,000; Skills of Central Pennsylvania, Inc. for the provision of site-based psychiatric rehabilitation services in Lock Haven, $50,000 a decrease of $30,000; Sweet
The next Joinder meeting will be at 9 a.m., Oct. 21, on the 4th floor of Third Street Plaza, 33 W. Third St., Williamsport