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Zachary Hershman | zacharyhershman@gmail.com | ‪(267) 571-9503‬

Put People First! PA  | putpeoplefirstpa.org

Nonviolent Medicaid Army Caravan Brings Medicaid Stories Quilt To Harrisburg, Delivering Petition To Sec. Arkoosh And Governor Shapiro To End Medicaid Cutoffs

DHS Sec Val Arkoosh Commits To Include Full Restoration Of Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit In November Dhs Budget Proposal

HARRISBURG –  Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh confirmed Wednesday September 20 Thursday in a meeting with Put People First! PA that her office would commit to including the Medicaid adult dental benefit as a top priority in the DHS budget proposal that will be submitted to Gov. Wolf this November. The adult dental benefit, which covers dental services for Medicaid recipients, was previously cut in 2011.

The meeting took place the morning of a press conference where three dozen Pennsylvania residents and members of Put People First! PA arrived in Harrisburg via caravan from 5 regions of the state. They were joined by representatives of sibling organization United Workers from Maryland. This was the culminating event of the ‘Nonviolent Medicaid Army Week of Action’, a national mobilization led by chapters of the Nonviolent Medicaid Army Medicaid in Wyoming, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, Georgia, Maryland and Vermont. Here in Pennsylvania,  regional demonstrations in Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Lancaster, Berwick, and Delco were anchored by Put People First! PA before caravaning to the State Capitol.

The press conference, featuring directly impacted speakers from Westmoreland, Pike, Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Montgomery counties, included a 30-foot long Medicaid Stories Quilt with a collection of dozens of photographs and stories from Pennsylvanians, and a Petition to Secretary Arkoosh and Governor Shapiro with over 700 signatures calling for an immediate end to the Medicaid cutoffs and an expansion of Medicaid to cover all Pennsylvania residents and families, a restoration of the Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit that was cut in 2011, and for the legislature to pass a law establishing an office of the Public Healthcare Advocate for Pennsylvania.

“We’re gathered to tell the world that these Medicaid cuts equal death. There are 24 million poor people in this country who are in danger of being cut, and over three million in Pennsylvania alone who rely on Medicaid for access to healthcare. There has been no out-cry in the media about this ongoing policy violence, and we are raising our voices to make the invisible visible and get organized to demand an end to this denial of health.“ said Anita Knisely-Durham, a Put People First! PA member from Philadelphia county. 

Although Governor Shapiro was not able to meet on September 20th due to scheduling conflicts, his office did commit to a future meeting with Put People First! PA. After the press conference, the group went en masse to his office, caroling along the way, and delivered the petition with dozens of comments to members of his staff.

In the meeting with residents and member leaders of Put People First! PA, DHS Secretary Arkoosh made the following commitments:

• To add restoration of the full Adult Dental Benefit as one of their top budget priorities when DHS submits their budget in November
• To include language about the right to appeal a Medicaid cutoff in their promotional materials and messaging
• To publish Medicaid redetermination appeal, approval, and denial rates in a publicly available tracker
• To look into raising the eligibility limits to qualify for Medicaid in PA
• To look into extending the length of time in which residents can file for an appeal and to explore the possibility of a provision that allows residents to keep their healthcare for 60 days

“We are very happy to hear that Secretary Arkoosh agrees with us on the necessity of restoring the adult dental benefit in Medicaid, and that she committed that DHS would fight for it in their budget proposal that will arrive on the Governor’s desk in November.” said Barbara White, resident of Pittsburgh and member of Put People First! PA. “With inflation and the rising cost of living, it is more important than ever that we stop the cutoffs and expand Medicaid to all residents to ensure that everyone gets the care they need.”

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