By Anna Gustafson for the Pennsylvania Independent.
Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Pennsylvania Independent-Public News Service Collaboration

Cindy Stewart worked for 54 years before retiring. Now, instead of enjoying retired life, the Allentown resident is worried about her Social Security benefits as the Trump administration plans thousands of job cuts and office closures at the Social Security Administration.

“I feel it’s something that I’m deserving of because I’ve paid 54 years and worked hard, and I really, truly count on it,” Stewart said. “And the way they talk, it’s going to be wiped away. They’re going to make it look like it’s not doing as well as it is, and they’re going to break it. It’s very upsetting. I think everybody’s so upset and frustrated, because what can we do?”

Stewart was one of nearly 500 people who crowded into the cavernous Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on March 20 for an event billed as a “People’s Town Hall.” Organized by a number of Democratic organizations, including the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, the event was part of a national effort to host town halls in competitive congressional districts where constituents could air their anger, frustration and sadness over the plans and actions of the Trump administration, including possible cuts to Medicaid and worries about Social Security checks continuing to arrive.

Organizers invited U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican who defeated Democratic incumbent Susan Wild in the November election, to the town hall held in Mackenzie’s 7th Congressional District, but he did not attend. Instead, Mackenzie hosted his own telephone town hall at the same time. Wild, who served three terms in the House, attended the event.

The town hall drew a standing-room only crowd. In front of a group of federal, state and local Democratic lawmakers and officials, the crowd shared a long list of concerns about the Trump administration. Many of those who spoke became emotional during the evening, wiping away tears as they described the harm Medicaid cuts would pose and anger over members of the Trump administration criticizing the Social Security program, which serves approximately 69 million Americans, the majority of whom are retirees. 

“I can’t express how upsetting it is because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Darlene Horwath, who traveled from Kutztown to attend the town hall. “We depend on Social Security somewhat, and with the economy tanking also, are we going to be out in the street? What’s going to happen when everything’s gone? Because that’s what the direction is.”

Colleen and Russ Sutton, who are retired nurses from Bethlehem, also shared their worries about what will happen to Social Security and Medicare under Trump. 

“I’m concerned about Social Security and Medicare,” Russ Sutton said. “I mean, we’re both on it, and it affects us. I’m concerned about it, and it’s not an entitlement when you pay into it. So I’m tired of hearing the word ‘entitlement,’ because it isn’t. It’s like you buy insurance, you pay for it, and this is insurance that you paid for all your life.”

While the White House has insisted that cuts to Social Security, including eliminating thousands of jobs at the Social Security Administration and shuttering Social Security offices, won’t affect Social Security benefits, retirees at the town hall said they fear otherwise. 

“There’s no other recourse for us to do. I mean, the food banks and the services that are state-provided are at their limit,” Horwath said. 

Attendees said they hope Mackenzie hears his constituents’ concerns about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs that have been cut or are facing cuts. Sitting near an empty chair with a name card on it that read “Rep. Ryan Mackenzie,” attendees criticized the congressman’s decision not to attend the town hall.

“He won’t show up,” Colleen Sutton said. “That’s one of the reasons why there are other Democratic leaders here to answer questions for us.”

Wild also criticized Mackenzie’s absence. 

“In my first term, by the end of March, we had done three town halls, live ones, one of them in the reddest, reddest part of our district,” Wild said. “It was not a fun experience for me. It was a packed house, lots of people who definitely did not vote for me, but I sat there for two hours and I answered questions.”

Mackenzie’s office did not respond to the Pennsylvania Independent’s request for comment. During his phone town hall, Mackenzie addressed concerns about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, according to reporting by Lehigh Valley Live. 

“No changes should be occurring for Social Security or Medicare,” Mackenzie was quoted as saying. “Those are for seniors. And we want to make sure that we protect those benefits … [and] support making sure that the traditional Medicaid population, those vulnerable individuals, children, low-income seniors, individuals with disabilities, we want to make sure that the care is protected for them as well.”

In order to pay for President Donald Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy and the mass deportation of immigrants, the Republican-majority House in February passed a budget resolution that calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $2 trillion reduction in federal spending over the next 10 years. The resolution also instructs the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees the Medicaid and Medicare programs, to cut at least $880 billion from its budget. Mackenzie and every other House Republican from Pennsylvania voted for that resolution.

In interviews with the Pennsylvania Independent, parents in the commonwealth said carving hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicaid would be devastating for children with disabilities and would end in people dying from a lack of affordable health care services.

Michelle Ritter, who provides mental health care services to children at a local clinic, said during the town hall that Medicaid cuts would be disastrous for the families she serves. She noted that the parents she works with, many of whom work more than one job to make ends meet, rely on programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, for mental health services for their children and food during the summer months when children are not in school.

“The world is scary when you can work so hard, and it is still too expensive to live,” Ritter said. 


Anna Gustafson wrote this article for the Pennsylvania Independent.


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Law enforcement officers and drug prevention advocates in Missouri are joining forces to tackle prescription drug misuse.

As part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's "National Prescription Drug Take Back Day," five collection sites will be set up across Taney and Stone counties on April 26.

Data from two years ago showed around 190,000 Missourians misused opioids, including 180,000 who misused prescription pain relievers.

Marietta Hagan, project coordinator at Cox Health, warned prescription drug misuse contributes heavily to opioid use disorder.

"People would get prescription medication that didn't belong to them as easy as walking into their parent's medicine cabinet and pulling it out of there, or pulling it out of the side night table at bedtime," Hagan explained.

Volunteers will be at the sites offering free safety tips and disposal kits, making it easy for families to clear out their medicine cabinets.

Hagan emphasized "Drug Take Back Day" is about more than just safe disposal. It is also a reminder to store medications properly to prevent misuse. She shared guidance on how to safely get rid of unwanted medications.

"Previously government agencies had encouraged actually the flushing of medications," Hagan noted. "But we now know thanks to environmental science, that is not recommended. Those medications end up in our water supply, in our lakes and our streams."

Most prescription and over-the-counter medications will be accepted, including pills, patches, and vapes without batteries. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is held twice a year, typically in April and October.


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A Tennessee nonprofit is warning that potential Medicaid cuts could threaten crucial support for the state's nearly 1 million family caregivers.

Medicaid supports 4.5 million individuals through home health-care services nationwide.

Megan Schwalm, president and CEO of the Tennessee Caregiver Coalition, said more than half of its funding comes from the now-dismantled Administration for Community Living - which has been folded into the Department of Health and Human Services.

Schwalm said federal funding cuts have affected the coalition, which provides respite services for people caring for loved ones with dementia or other serious conditions.

"Our state typically reimburses at $23.44 an hour for respite, and so us being able to provide at about $5 an hour is a huge cost savings," said Schwalm. "But with those cuts to Medicaid and the Administration for Community Living, we won't be able to provide those services any longer."

She said the funding cuts have already forced the loss of a staff position and nearly all outreach efforts for respite services across Tennessee.

Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government, but Congress is proposing cutting Medicaid spending by $880 billion over 10 years.

According to AARP, Tennessee already ranks poorly among states for its lack of supports and services for caregivers and people with disabilities.

Schwalm acknowledged that Medicaid could benefit from reform, but she said dismantling it without a clear, comprehensive plan would be detrimental to the people of Tennessee.

"These cuts to Medicaid are coming, but there is no safety net in place," said Schwalm. "There is no alternative. And so it is very unclear what will happen to these folks in these programs."

She emphasized the importance of Tennesseans letting their elected officials know how they feel about safeguarding these safety net programs.




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A bill in the Tennessee General Assembly is reigniting debate over how rural hospitals can staff anesthesia providers. House Bill 979 would address the shortage of anesthesiologists in rural Tennessee by allowing hospitals in counties with fewer than 105,000 residents to directly employ physician anesthesiologists.

Hospitals now have to use third-party anesthesiology services.

Dr. Louis Chemin III, anesthesiologist and physician with Tennessee Anesthesiology Consultants Exchange, supports physician supervision in what's known as the "Anesthesia Care Team" model. He said anyone hired as an anesthesiologist would be required to follow strict medical guidelines.

"Currently under state law, a hospital cannot employ an anesthesiologist, a radiologist, a pathologist or an emergency medicine physician. If this bill were to pass, it would allow hospitals in these rural communities the option to hire an anesthesiologist," he contended.

Chemin said the bill would allow a hospital anesthesiologist to perform anesthesia in one operating room, or to supervise the process in up to four operating rooms.

On Wednesday, the bill passed the House with a vote of 72 to 5, with 11 members "present but not voting." It now heads to the state Senate.

When a physician anesthesiologist provides medical direction to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists or Anesthesiologist Assistants, Chemin explained, they must comply with seven steps outlined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to qualify for reimbursement under Medicare.

"This law means that if a hospital employs an anesthesiologist, that they must allow the anesthesiologist to practice in a way that is safe and is in agreement with these seven steps," he continued.

Chemin added that these requirements would ensure the anesthesiologist's active involvement in the patient's care and safety.


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