St. John Community hosts Medicaid advocacy event
ADAMS TWP — Albina and David Deriggi have relied on Medicaid to continue living independently as they navigate the challenges that come with aging.
Without the extensive everyday care, the Cranberry Township couple acknowledge their lives would be drastically altered.
“We could not exist without the program,” Albina said.
Albina explained that a nagging leg wound caused by an autoimmune disease has made it difficult for her to walk and to care for David, who has spent the last seven years in an electric wheelchair.
They are just two of the 26,325 Butler County residents who rely on Medicaid for health coverage.
As rumors continue to swirl about potential cuts to the federal Medicaid program, local officials and business owners are beginning to take a stand for a program that supports more than 72 million Americans as of October 2024.
Lutheran SeniorLife’s St. John Community, in partnership with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging, joined that trend by hosting “Medicaid Works for Butler County,” an advocacy event, on Monday, March 17.
The event sought to highlight the importance of appropriately funding Medicaid and Medicare and the potential harm any cuts could have on Butler County, where 21.3% of residents are age 65 or older.
“I think everybody is indirectly affected in some way in their community,” said Joe Angelelli, president of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging.
“Some people may not know that their neighbors are getting home care and being able to stay in the community because of the Medicaid program. There are people employed in their neighborhoods who are getting a paycheck because of the Medicaid program. It’s at that level that these cuts would be felt.”
More than 3,400 county residents receive assistance through a Medicaid program known as Community HealthChoices, which mainly serves seniors and those living with physical disabilities.
Another 685 residents across 12 county nursing homes rely on Medicaid for daily care.
According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to increase from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050, which would be a staggering 47% increase.
Those projections could create seismic changes in how government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are funded.
“It’s just kind of a math issue, right?” Angelelli said. “We’re going to have more people who are going to need more. We’re going to have to take care of them or have more people who are unhoused and really suffering needlessly.”
Medicaid provided more than $38 million to the county’s 12 nursing homes in 2022. Additionally, the program funded nearly $11 million worth of home and community-based services across 18 home care agencies in the county.
St. John Community houses 140 residents, and about 75% of them rely on Medicaid for their care, according to executive director Samantha Rapuk, who says now is the time to start thinking about the future of both programs.
“I think our legislators need to look ahead and understand that if they don’t start supporting us now, we won’t be around to provide the services that they and their families are going to need in the future,” she said. “We’re going to continue to provide the same great care for as long as we can, but there’s only so much any facility can do without funds.”
