For more than 3 million Pennsylvanians, Medicaid is more than just a budget item – it’s a lifeline. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Medicaid provides essential health care access to 39% of children, 59% of nursing home residents, and 13% of seniors across the state.

And if it’s not you who’s relied on it, it’s probably someone you know – a friend, a neighbor, or a family member. Threatened Medicaid cuts are about all of us.

At The Wright Center for Community Health, we see the beneficial impact of Medicaid daily. It’s in the stories of our patients and colleagues like Nicole Sekelsky. In 2021, Nicole left an abusive marriage with her four children, two of whom have complex medical needs. Suddenly, she was on her own, trying to keep her kids healthy and happy while holding her family together.

Medicaid stepped in, covering critical surgeries for her eldest daughter and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit services for her youngest. Pennsylvania Medicaid coverage gave Nicole the opportunity to focus on rebuilding her life, knowing her kids’ health care was covered.

Once her life stabilized, Nicole pursued education and earned certifications as both a medical assistant and a community health worker, so she could support her children independently. Today, she is a treasured employee of The Wright Center, giving back by helping others navigate complex life challenges – just as she once did.

For families like Nicole’s, Medicaid is more than just insurance – it’s a vital source of stability.

The Wright Center for Community Health serves over 35,000 patients annually across 13 teaching health centers in Northeastern Pennsylvania, providing responsive care to some of our most underserved, medically complex members of our communities. As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, we serve everyone, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.

Each year, we train approximately 200 resident physicians and nearly 250 interprofessional students, preparing the next generation of health care professionals to deliver compassionate, high-quality primary care to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Community-based primary care systems like The Wright Center are the backbone of our nation’s health care infrastructure – proven to save lives, curb costs, and drive better outcomes. Yet despite their pivotal role, they remain chronically underfunded and overstretched, accounting for just 5-7% of total health care spending. This persistent underinvestment undermines primary care’s proven ability to fulfill the vast responsibilities placed upon it. Any cuts to Medicaid would further destabilize primary care, deepening existing gaps in access, weakening the delivery of high-quality care, and worsening workforce shortages.

The human and economic consequences for our communities would be profound, with future generations bearing the burden for decades to come.

The Wright Center for Community Health’s role as a community health center gives us a front-row seat to the critical importance of Medicaid. Every day, we see how Medicaid connects our patients to essential health care services – from young children and adolescents in our school-based health center receiving preventive screenings that catch health issues early, to pregnant women with substance use disorders accessing recovery services that promote the health and welfare of them and their babies.

It’s what helps veterans access trauma-informed mental health services and ensures older adults with chronic conditions receive home-based support to avoid hospitalization or a skilled nursing facility. It’s vaccines for children, cancer screenings that can change the course of a life, and more.

But Medicaid’s impact goes beyond health care and individual health outcomes. It’s a powerful economic engine. In Pennsylvania alone, Medicaid supports over 61,000 jobs and keeps hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community health centers like ours running, according to the Pennsylvania Health Action Network. It’s more than a program – it’s an indispensable pillar of our health care ecosystem.

Medicaid policy can be complicated, and too many people don’t fully understand how it strengthens the health, economy, and stability of our communities. That’s why conversations like the ones we’ve had with our legislators matter.

We recently joined fellow community health center partners on Capitol Hill to talk with members of Congress about the importance of Medicaid. We had meaningful discussions with Senator McCormick’s office and Representatives Bresnahan and Meuser’s offices.

Earlier this month, we were honored to welcome Representative Rob Bresnahan to our health center, where he took the time to see firsthand how Medicaid helps families stay connected to fundamental primary health services. These conversations bridge the gap between policy decisions and real-world impact, reminding us of the power of leadership that listens and seeks to understand before acting.

At The Wright Center, we deeply appreciate our government leaders who are open to listening, learning, and engaging in productive conversations about Medicaid. Protecting Medicaid shouldn’t be political – it’s about ensuring people stay connected to the care they need and empowering them to contribute to a healthier, more resilient society.

As a trusted pillar of primary health services and integrated workforce development in our region, The Wright Center remains committed to serving those who rely on us, recognizing that continued, stable access to Medicaid resources is essential for us to effectively deliver our mission to meet their needs and improve health outcomes for individuals and our whole regional community.

This Medicaid conversation is about all of us.

Laura Spadaro, MHA, is the vice president and chief primary care and public health policy officer at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education in Scranton, Pennsylvania.