Submitted by Andrew Bowman and Katie Pritchett
While the Democratic Party at large has struggled to form a cohesive strategy in the wake of the 2024 Election loss, some members have taken it upon themselves to lead the charge forward. One prong of this strategy has been a wave of town hall events to address citizens who feel ignored and abandoned by their GOP representatives, like Scott Perry, the House of Representatives member for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. On March 19, one of these events entitled People’s Town Hall - Tell Rep Scott Perry to Save Medicaid was held at the AFSCME Conference Center in Dauphin County. The event was attended by roughly 200 people of various backgrounds and agendas. There, they discussed the current state of the country, their concerns for the future, and what to do next. Given the topic of the meeting, many of the speakers used this opportunity to relay their concerns regarding Scott Perry’s stance towards cutting Medicaid, and the effects these potential cuts could cause, ranging from restricted access to healthcare to worsened educational outcomes for children.
Featured speakers and volunteers represented a number of organizations including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans, and the American Federation of Government Employees, which has been battling the Trump administration in court over the recent layoffs. Planned Parenthood also made an appearance, with their speaker sharing that 30% of the patients served by the Harrisburg and York offices receive Medicaid. Scott Perry’s most recent electoral opponent Janelle Stelson also was in attendance. Scott Perry was notably absent from the meeting.
A few members of the audience also shared personal accounts of their experiences with navigating the healthcare systems and their concerns in general. One speaker shared that while working as an EMT, he provided emergency healthcare to a patient with diabetes who had to be hospitalized due to rationing his insulin as he could not afford it, a reality that may become more common if Medicaid is cut. Another attendee shared his experience of having multiple family members who benefit from services that are possible through Medicaid, including the nursing home care, and mental health services.
While there was no definitive action taken at this meeting, it did serve as a channel for organizations to direct citizens towards effective means of making a difference, such as by calling their representatives, attending protests such as the one at the Tesla dealership on the Carlisle Pike this Friday from 4-6pm, having difficult conversations with neighbors who have fallen prey to misinformation, and assisting struggling people with navigating the labyrinthine benefits systems being implemented. One particularly notable way to help now that was discussed was the Five Calls smartphone app, which directs people to relevant contact channels for their representatives and provides templates for messages. What effect this will all have though? Only time will tell.
Editor's Note
For further reading, please see this PennLive article. An archive link has been used for posterity’s sake.