Members from SEIU Healthcare PA were out in force on Wednesday, June 5, at the Capitol building in Harrisburg to make their voices heard. Our members joined several hundred other healthcare professionals, consumers and advocates in calling on the Corbett Administration to make Medicaid expansion a reality in Pennsylvania.
The action was part of the Cover the Commonwealth campaign, a collective effort by SEIU Healthcare PA and partners like the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN), as well others.
Expanding the Medicaid program in Pennsylvania would mean billions of dollars in federal funds for the state, the over 40,000 new jobs and healthcare coverage for some 700,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians.
Pennsylvanians like Cheryl Jones.
Cheryl has been a home care attendant for over 20 years. She’s an important lifeline for her consumer, but she doesn’t have health insurance herself. She’s been hospitalized twice for complications from high blood pressure and has medical bills she has no way of paying.
Cheryl stood up on Wednesday and told her emotional story to the crowd of supporters who, like her, believe healthcare professionals deserve healthcare coverage. Cheryl said when she starts to feel sick, she prays for a quick recovery.
“Prayer is important, but it shouldn’t be a healthcare policy,” she told the crowd.
United Home Care Workers of PA member Pretrina Sharpe shared a similar story.
Pretrina is a home care attendant who also doesn’t have insurance. She suffers from Type 2 diabetes and often cannot afford her medicine or regular doctor visits to monitor her condition. Pretrina has suffered a number of setbacks due to her lack of regular medical care – her weight is constantly in flux, her hair has fallen out, and her financial situation resulted in her eviction from her apartment.
Pretrina made an impassioned personal plea to our elected leaders.
“I want to ask our elected officials – what if it was YOUR family member who was sick but could not see a doctor? How would you feel if help was available, but your Governor refused to sign the papers to get that help?”
Along with Cheryl, Pretrina and other speakers at Wednesday’s rally, supporters brought more than 150 photos of average Pennsylvanians, all with messages supporting Medicaid expansion. The photos where displayed along a clothesline that stretched around the crowd, poignant reminder of that “lives are on the line.” (View the photos on our Tumblr page)
Members of SEIU Healthcare PA play a pivotal role in this ongoing fight to bring jobs, money and increased healthcare coverage to Pennsylvania, organizing, making calls to elected officials and educating the public on just what Medicaid expansion would mean for everyone. The Corbett Administration continues to stall the measure, but with increased pressure from SEIU Healthcare PA and our many allies, we will prevail.
For more information on expanding Medicaid in Pennsylvania, visit our partners at PHAN or go to www.coverthecommonwealth.org.