For Immediate Release
October 29, 2025
Press Contact: Kirstin Snow, snow@pennpolicy.org
RELEASE: Pennsylvanians Are Being Shut Out of Affordable Health Care
Pennsylvanians are being priced out of care as subsidies expire on Nov. 1st — NEW DATA per congressional district
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – On Wednesday, October 29, at 10 a.m., a coalition of grassroots advocates, legislators, and impacted residents called out the Republican-led expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies and deep Medicaid cuts driving up health care costs across our state.
The press conference shone a light on how Pennsylvania families are being priced out of coverage—while the wealthy continue to get tax breaks. They sent a clear message: The shutdown isn’t about politics—it’s about our health care.
Speakers also addressed the SNAP cut-off that begins on November 1st. They pointed out that the federal government has sufficient emergency funds to prevent any break in SNAP benefits for the 2 million Pennsylvanians who participate in the program. They demanded that President Trump act today to release those emergency funds.
Key messages addressed included:
- As open enrollment begins this week, thousands of Pennsylvanians are discovering that affordable coverage has been shut down.
- Their shutdown is our health care crisis.
- Republicans are protecting tax cuts for the wealthy, while families lose care.
- In all congressional districts, premiums are spiking, and the substantial progress made in reducing the uninsurance rate since the enactment of the ACA is being reversed.
L-R Lynn Weidner, Sen. Vince Hughes, Marc Stier, Lauren Lareau, Merrick Green, Sen. Art Haywood (For more images contact snow@pennpolicy.org.)
QUOTES:
Dwayne Heisler – Campaign Director, Pennsylvanians Together
“This shutdown belongs to Republicans—they control Washington, and their refusal to act is costing Pennsylvanians their health care. Instead of restoring Medicaid cuts or extending ACA tax credits that keep coverage affordable, they’re protecting tax breaks for the wealthy while families face rising premiums and canceled care. It’s time they stop playing politics and start governing for the people they swore to represent.”
Marc Stier – Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center
“The intransigence of Republicans in Washington is fully and entirely responsible for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians losing their health insurance—from both Pennie and Medicaid. There is simply no excuse for these actions. If we can afford billions of tax cuts for the very wealthy we can afford hundreds of millions to help low- and middle-income Pennsylvanians afford health insurance. The truth is that no American secures health care without some help from the government and that includes the Republican members of Congress who are standing in the way of a decent, compromise budget.”
Senator Art Haywood
“Hardworking people shopping for health care will soon find it to be unaffordable because of federal Republicans and the GOP shutdown. Not only that, on November 1, SNAP food assistance for 2 million Pennsylvanians will end due to the shutdown. Denial of health care and food are cruel violations of dignity.”
Lynn Weidner – Affordable Health Care Advocate
“If the Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits are not extended in the funding bill currently in front of Congress, Pennie premiums will skyrocket by an average of 82%. As a homecare worker making $14 an hour this is impossible to manage, and if I can’t care for myself, I can’t care for others. The cuts to Pennie and Medicaid endanger care for nearly two million Pennsylvanians and will be absolutely devastating for health care workers, our families, the people we care for, and our communities all across our state!”
Representative Kyle Donahue
“As Open Enrollment begins, families across Pennsylvania are being slammed with higher premiums and fewer options — and the blame lies squarely with Republican leaders in Congress. They chose to let ACA premium subsidies expire and gutted Medicaid funding, knowing full well it would drive up costs and push people off their coverage. This wasn’t a mistake — it was cruelty by design. Pennsylvanians deserve leaders who put people’s health ahead of partisan games.”
ADDENDAE:
Additional information by congressional district below. More information and data resources are available. Contact Kirstin Snow, Communications Director, at snow@pennpolicy.org.
| Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick | CD1 |
| At Risk of Losing Coverage Through PA ACA Marketplace (Pennie) | 17,500 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Greater Data Matching | 15,000 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Limited Data Matching | 22,000 |
| Total at Risk for Loss of Health Insurance | 32,500–39,500 |
| Preventable Deaths Over the Next Ten Years | 1,060 |
| Congressman Ryan Mackenzie | CD7 |
| At Risk of Losing Coverage Through PA ACA Marketplace (Pennie) | 14,400 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Greater Data Matching | 21,000 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Limited Data Matching | 32,000 |
| Total at Risk for Loss of Health Insurance | 35,400–46,400 |
| Preventable Deaths Over the Next Ten Years | 1,470 |
| Congressman Rob Bresnahan | CD8 |
| At Risk of Losing Coverage Through PA ACA Marketplace (Pennie) | 16,400 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Greater Data Matching | 30,000 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Limited Data Matching | 46,000 |
| Total at Risk for Loss of Health Insurance | 46,400–62,400 |
| Preventable Deaths Over the Next Ten Years | 1,800 |
| Congressman Scott Perry | CD10 |
| At Risk of Losing Coverage Through PA ACA Marketplace (Pennie) | 174500 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Greater Data Matching | 16,000 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Limited Data Matching | 25,000 |
| Total at Risk for Loss of Health Insurance | 33,400–42,400 |
| Preventable Deaths Over the Next Ten Years | 1,600 |
| Congressman Glenn Thompson | CD15 |
| At Risk of Losing Coverage Through PA ACA Marketplace (Pennie) | 16,300 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Greater Data Matching | 23,000 |
| At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Limited Data Matching | 35,000 |
| Total at Risk for Loss of Health Insurance | 39,300–51,300 |
| Preventable Deaths Over the Next Ten Years | 1,340 |
Pennsylvanians at Risk of Losing Health Insurance Under OBBBA Provisions – By Congressional District
| Number of Pennsylvanians at Risk of Losing Health Insurance by 2034 | |||||
| PA Congressional District | At Risk of Losing Coverage Through PA ACA Marketplace (Pennie) | At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Greater Data Matching | At Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage Under Limited Data Matching | Total at Risk for Loss of Health Insurance | Preventable Deaths Over the Next Ten Years |
| 1 | 17,500 | 15,000 | 22,000 | 32,500 – 39,500 | 1,060 |
| 2 | 16,400 | 33,000 | 51,000 | 49,400 – 67,400 | 2,800 |
| 3 | 16,400 | 37,000 | 56,000 | 53,400 – 72,400 | 2,380 |
| 4 | 19,000 | 13,000 | 20,000 | 32,000 – 39,000 | 1,070 |
| 5 | 12,200 | 23,000 | 35,000 | 35,200 – 47,200 | 1,550 |
| 6 | 19,300 | 16,000 | 24,000 | 35,300 – 43,300 | 1,280 |
| 7 | 14,400 | 21,000 | 32,000 | 35,400 – 46,400 | 1,470 |
| 8 | 16,400 | 30,000 | 46,000 | 46,400 – 62,400 | 1,800 |
| 9 | 13,900 | 22,000 | 35,000 | 35,900 – 48,900 | 1,490 |
| 10 | 17,400 | 16,000 | 25,000 | 33,400 – 42,400 | 1,600 |
| 11 | 14,500 | 18,000 | 28,000 | 32,500 – 42,500 | 1,220 |
| 12 | 19,900 | 21,000 | 32,000 | 40,900 – 51,900 | 1,580 |
| 13 | 15,800 | 22,000 | 34,000 | 37,800 – 49,800 | 1,480 |
| 14 | 10,300 | 26,000 | 40,000 | 36,300 – 50,300 | 1,480 |
| 15 | 16,300 | 23,000 | 35,000 | 39,300 – 51,300 | 1,340 |
| 16 | 14,700 | 22,000 | 34,000 | 36,700 – 48,700 | 1,540 |
| 17 | 15,600 | 17,000 | 27,000 | 32,600 – 42,600 | 1,150 |
| Statewide | 270,000 | 375,000 | 576,000 | 645,000 – 846,000 | 26,290 |
Sources: Medicaid loss estimates under greater and limited data matching are from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Medicaid Work Requirements Will Take Away Coverage From Millions: State and Congressional District Estimates (June 18, 2025), https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/medicaid-work-requirements-will-take-away-coverage-from-millions-state-and. ACA Marketplace (Pennie) loss estimates are from the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, Impacts to PA Congressional Districts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, accessed September 3, 2025, https://www.pahealthaccess.org/resource/impacts-to-pa-congressional-districts-of-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/. County, state House, and state Senate estimates are derived by redistributing CBPP and PHAN statewide totals in proportion to local enrollment shares reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Data Dashboards & Reports, accessed September 5, 2025, https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/data-reports.html. Background uninsured rate data come from KFF, Health Insurance Coverage of the Total Population | KFF State Health Facts, accessed September 8, 2025, https://www.kff.org/state-health-policy-data/state-indicator/total-population/.
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