Ron Williams

Pennsylvania Furnace

Pennsylvania’s 15th congressional district, our district, is one very large and very rural district. Its elected representative is Glen GT Thompson.

Over 200,000 of his constituents are currently receiving Medicaid benefits in this district. That appeared to be of little concern to Rep Thompson, however, when he voted for Trump’s billionaire tax cut bill. The bill is expected to cause over 10 million people to lose their Medicaid coverage. How many of our family members, friends and neighbors will be among them?

To add insult to injury, the bill will also make Affordable Care Act health coverage more expensive and harder to obtain.This is expected to make health insurance unaffordable for an additional 7 million people. More of our family members, friends and neighbors?

Coupled together, Medicaid cuts and health insurance unaffordability is projected to affect those who live in rural areas the most. This is because

(1) the number of older residents who rely on government funded insurance (Medicaid recipients) is high in rural counties; and

(2) rural hospitals and community health centers are already strapped financially. Losing even a portion of Medicaid and health insurance reimbursement funding could force them to slash services, even close. This will leave those who live in rural areas with vastly reduced local health services, an already significant concern.

Given the likely harm to so many of his constituents, why would Thompson ever help Republicans in the House pass this bill?

Perhaps because representing us is not his highest priority?