October 20-22nd, 2023 Put People First! PA held our 11th Annual Membership Assembly in Williamsport, Northeast PA. This was our first time having a statewide, all together in-person – with virtual option – Assembly since 2019, and it was a big success! The Membership Assembly is our largest yearly gathering and one of our most crucial, as we continue to build our member-led, staff-free, statewide, politically independent movement of the poor and dispossessed united across all lines of division. During the Assembly we grew our leadership and unity as a class through meals together, workshops, Mistica (spirit of the struggle) and Arts & Culture.
Every year the Membership Assembly is an opportunity for us to connect, share our experiences, strength, and hope with each other. We celebrated our achievements, processed our challenges, reflected on 2023 and prepared for 2024. There were more than 120 participants of the Membership Assembly from Pennsylvania and other states including California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming!
Good morning Facebook!! Excited for today!! You ask why I give all my time to Put People First! PA!!! BECAUSE THEY GIVE ALL THEIR TIME TO ME!!! Organize With Put People First! PA FOREVER!!! – Esther of Northeast PA
Feeling amazing after going to my first ever membership assembly thanks for inviting me! – Toby of South Central PA:
This year, I attended my first in-person Membership Assembly. Of all the weekend’s memorable experiences, I find myself reflecting most on the tremendous sense of collectivity I felt and its significance for our ongoing movement. The Assembly exemplified our commitment to co-creating the spaces we share.
Some members led workshops while others coordinated essentials like food, transportation, childcare, and A/V. Members had varying levels of responsibility, but, thanks to our militant work schedule, everyone was involved, everyone had a role to play. This simple reality was itself revolutionary!
Throughout our daily lives, we are routinely conditioned to be disengaged, to be little more than consumers. We are taught that there are experts and professionals, and that we have nothing to contribute. Our Membership Assembly provided stark opposition to these ruling-class notions: we studied, learned, prepared, and shared with one another. We held roles–big and small–pushed ourselves to try new things, and created a three-day experience that wouldn’t have existed without us!
The significance of organizing such a participatory and empowering event transcends the Membership Assembly. It reflects and reinforces our daily approach to organizing and helps to lay the groundwork for a truly inclusive society, one that respects all of us and allows us to have our needs met and to thrive. – Ande of Southeast PA
Zachary Hershman | zacharyhershman@gmail.com | (267) 571-9503 Put People First! PA | putpeoplefirstpa.org
New data indicates 99% of all Medicaid redetermination appeals denied by DHS
Pennsylvania residents cut from Medicaid face significant health and safety challenges
PENNSYLVANIA – Put People First! PA, a grassroots organization focused on the human right to healthcare, is ramping up support for residents engaged in Medicaid redetermination appeals after new data reveals that over 99% of all appeals are denied by DHS. Multiple Pennsylvania residents have reached out to Put People First! PA indicating they or their family are facing danger from Medicaid cutoffs that threaten their safety and wellbeing.
After hosting the ‘Nonviolent Medicaid Army: Week of Action’, a national mobilization led by chapters of the Nonviolent Medicaid Army Medicaid in Wyoming, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, Georgia, Maryland, Vermont and Pennsylvania, which concluded on September 20th with a press conference and presentation of the Medicaid Stories Quilt in Harrisburg, PA, Put People First! PA has been fielding many additional requests from Pennsylvania residents for support in their Medicaid cutoff redetermination and appeal process.
Medicaid continuous coverage requirements were ended via a bipartisan agreement included in the December 2022 omnibus spending bill signed by President Biden. Already over 260,000 people have been disenrolled from Medicaid in Pennsylvania, according to PA DHS, including over 60,000 children.
As Put People First! PA continues to organize health screenings and benefit sign ups at free People’s Clinics around the State to raise awareness about the cut-offs, residents from across Pennsylvania have been reaching out with stories of families driven into crisis by denial of healthcare, as the redetermination process is increasingly marked by poor bureaucracy, late notice and arcane requirements.
Sadly, even those PA residents who are able to collect their paperwork and file for an appeal before the deadline are almost uniformly denied; according to new information released to Put People First! PA by DHS, of the 19,849 total MA appeals filed from 4/1/23 – 9/21/23, only 55 were decided in part or in full for the appellant, a denial rate of over 99% (these numbers include both appeals from redeterminations and initial applications).
The overwhelming number of denials indicates a broken appeals process that was intentionally designed to remove Pennsylvania residents from Medicaid, regardless of the consequences to their health and safety. It is for this reason that Put People First! PA is helping residents file their appeals and hosting demonstrations outside of appeal hearings, to provide as much support as possible for residents as they make their way through a process that is clearly stacked against them. DHS has also committed to putting the appeal denial rate on their Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding Data Tracker [1].
It was reported in the Inquirer on Nov. 13th that the State of Pennsylvania is in the process of restoring Medicaid coverage for 105,000 residents who lost their government-funded health insurance benefits this year because they did not return a form on time or for some other procedural reasons. [2]
These are some of the stories we are hearing from Pennsylvania residents who are going through the appeals process with the support of Put People First! PA:
[All names are withheld to protect the individuals currently undergoing appeal. Please reach out for further information.]
P, from Berwick, never received her renewal paperwork in the mail, so she is being cut from Medicaid for an unknown reason at this time. She is a single mother of two children, both of whom receive mental healthcare through Medicaid; now that she has been cut off both children will need to find new therapists. She fears a disruption in her children’s treatment will impact their mental health and stability. Her appeals hearing is scheduled for November 17th.
P states, “Medicaid is important to me because as a single mom with one income, in today’s economy just basic living expenses are hard to pay. Combine that with a child with disabilities who is on 3 to 5 different medications and required doctor visits, it’s unbearable. When the cost of employer provided healthcare is more than half my paycheck, Medicaid is an absolute necessity to be able to provide for my child.”
“Losing Medicaid because I exceeded some arbitrary number that does not take most expenses into account was a hard blow. The cost of my son’s therapy, meds and doctor’s appointments are well over $1000 a month for someone barely getting by. This appeal process and working with PPF-PA has made me feel like I have a voice. I have the ability to fight back and fight for the rights that every person should be given.”
M, from Philadelphia, has leukemia. He is being cut from Medicaid for having too much income, despite his life threatening cancer diagnosis. DHS did not inform him that he could potentially qualify for MAWD (Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities), and was content to simply leave him without insurance, but Put People First! PA informed him of his rights under MAWD and is supporting his appeal.
C, from Manheim, is being cut from the Medicaid rolls because her husband’s income is too high, but received no paperwork in the mail informing her. She only discovered this when taking her children to a doctor’s appointment and realizing she was uninsured, causing her to delay much needed care.
E, from Montgomery County, is being cut from Medicaid because her income has risen above the limit. Under Medicaid, even if you exceed the limit by 1$ you are removed from the program, whether or not it is sufficient. If she loses her appeal, she will lose access to mental healthcare, which is unaffordable through private insurance.
C, from Scranton, is a multiple skin cancer survivor who is on disability and is surviving on a fixed income with her husband’s SSA benefits. She has been cut from Medicaid for possessing too many resources; after she loses her Medicaid, she will have to start paying for Medicare.
“Our current system tells us that only some of us deserve help. We think that’s wrong, and we see how it harms people every day.” said Jacob Hope, a Put People First! PA member who has been assisting residents with the appeals process.
“We know that the money is there to get everybody the healthcare that they need, but instead the State makes us jump through hoops to prove that we deserve assistance. Instead of being focused on healing, we are worried about making a dollar over the limit or missing a single piece of mail that could throw our entire life into chaos.”
If you or a loved one is in danger of being cut from Medicaid, contact info@putpeoplefirstpa.org for support and information.
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Put People First! PA (PPF-PA) is a statewide, multi-racial, grassroots, volunteer organization with five regional Healthcare Rights Committees located across Pennsylvania.
Put People First! PA is waging a campaign for the restoration of the Adult Dental Benefit (ADB) to Medicaid. By Anita of the Campaign & Legislative Team
Background: In 2011, Governor Tom Corbett, under direction from the Obama administration, cut the benefit from Medicaid under pressure to cut spending to make up for budget shortfalls. Currently the dental benefits provided under Medicaid in Pennsylvania are limited, with exams, cleanings, and x-rays once every 6 months, one set of dentures for life and important interventions like root canals, crowns, and additional dentures out of reach for recipients. Often under these circumstances, extractions become the primary way of dealing with infected or damaged teeth. Oral health is foundational to the whole body and mind and poor people are being denied this vital care. Since 2018, having learned from our base the pain inflicted from this denial of healthcare, PPF-PA has included the restoration of the Adult Dental Benefit in our yearly campaign plans as a key demand of the powerholders.
Fighting back in 2023: April 2023 we saw the largest change in the healthcare system of this country with the end of pandemic era protections and mass purge of people from their Medicaid, with over 30 million in the US at risk of being cut. PPF-PA launched a social media campaign called #MedicaidMondays where people shared the importance of Medicaid to our lives. In September of 2023, our organization took action during the Nonviolent Medicaid Army Week of Action. Regional Healthcare Rights Committees held actions with pieces of a quilt made from the #MedicaidMonday stories. On the 20th, our regions caravanned to the Capitol, to join together this quilt of our stories and make demands of the powerholders inside. We met with DHS Secretary Val Arkoosh with demands of: ending the Medicaid cuts; expansion of Medicaid to all PA residents; extension of time to file an appeal from 30 to 60 days; release of information on both the numbers of appeal submission & approvals as well as costs saved under continuous enrollment; and a restoration of the ADB. Sec Arkoosh verbally committed to making the restoration a priority of her budget submitted to the Governor Josh Shapiro.
Where we’re at now: Our current campaign evolved from these events of our Week of Action. Since our Week of Action, there has been movement in the state legislature around the ADB. House Bill 1417 which would restore dental coverage in Medicaid passed out of the House Health Committee October 18th with bipartisan support. HB 1417 passed in the House and is moving on to the Senate as of this writing. Our next steps involve putting pressure on Gov. Shapiro to include the Adult Dental Benefit in his 2024 budget, set to involve several phases of actions. Our first efforts in this have been letter writing. An organizational sign-on letter was sent by members to organizations, faith communities, and other groups to support.
Personal letters relaying the importance of the adult dental benefit to our lives were also sent through December to the Governor. These personal letters are being documented to build a visual representation in the same vein as the Medicaid Quilt.
Where we’re going: In 2024, we’re launching a social media campaign similar to our #MedicaidMondays to make visible our need for the ADB, to put public pressure on the Governor to pass the budget. To ensure the State will adequately fund the ADB restoration, we members of Put People First! PA must keep the pressure on Shapiro, building our base and sharing our stories to transform what is politically possible in this state. Our teeth are not disposable and neither are we.
Join us in our social media campaign! Share your story!
When was the last time you got dental care?
What has your experience been with getting dental care?
How has not being able to get dental care impacted your health?
How has not being able to get dental care impacted your life (for example, your ability to get a job)?
How would your life be different if the dental benefit were in Medicaid/if dental care was a human right?
Share a selfie and a sentence or two with why we must restore the Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit! For more information, check back for our social media guide coming soon!
In December, Put People First! PA asked our members to share their experience with accessing dental care as part of a campaign to pressure the Pennsylvania legislature to restore the Adult Dental Benefit to Medicaid. Do you have a story to share? Reach out to Harrison (harrisonjfarina@gmail.com) or Jessica (boyles.jessicaruth@gmail.com) to share your story.
Here’s a few excerpts from letters that were sent to Governor Shapiro this past month.
I have struggled for decades to be able to afford consistent dental care. I am now 45 years old, missing 6 teeth and have two additional broken ones. I face ongoing bouts of pain or infection along with difficulty eating and I am unable to afford the dental care I need to fix these problems. They only keep getting worse and putting my health in jeopardy.
After I was cut off of Medicaid in 2018 for making a little bit too much money, I discovered that the free dental clinics near me had waiting lists so long they stopped adding names. I tried to be responsible and pay for a cheap dental plan on Pennie. I’ve paid for it for over two years now and have yet to find a dentist who will take it. Most recently, I was told by the Aspen Dental nearest me (40 mins away) that they are only allowed to have 280 patients with a government subsidized plan and they couldn’t treat me because they were at their limit. — Jess – Lake Ariel, PA 18436
During the pandemic, I couldn’t get regular dental treatment; if I had, the cavities I had could have been filled. So I had to have emergency extraction of my teeth, not just once, but 3 times. My dentist & I decided to have the remaining teeth pulled & get dentures. I have multiple illnesses that caused my teeth to weaken. Now, at the age of 54, I have no teeth and that has contributed to my digestive problems. I need a full set of teeth which I cannot now get. Again, during the pandemic, I could not get the oral surgery, although I was approved for it. Teeth do not qualify for emergency surgery. By the time I could get the surgery, the dentist’s office that had approved it had closed, the work was never done, and now PA Health & Wellness is saying that the work was done, since it was approved, but the records are unavailable since the office closed. I am stuck because PA Health & Wellness & Kazur dental haven’t done their jobs. Besides the pain & dysfunction of not having teeth, I’m caught in the red tape of rules that were not adapted to Covid and now I’m paying the price. PA Health & Wellness needs to look in their records to see the work was never paid for, but have repeatedly denied my appeals. — Rica – Irwin, PA 15642
When I was 5, I went to the dentist. Nobody would explain to me what they were doing. So when a strange man tried to stick a giant needle into my mouth, I bit him. Hard. They decided the only solution was to send me to a no-anesthesia dentist. I was a child, getting severe dental work done, without any numbing. For years. Eventually, I got old enough to refuse. We switched dentists. He also failed to explain what he was doing with the large needle, so I bit him gently as a warning. He explained it to me, and I let him numb me. That dentist retired a few years ago. I couldn’t find a new one who would take my Medicaid insurance. Eventually, I had a tooth infection so bad I went to the ER more than once. I was out of options, so I went to a dentist I heard good things about, who wouldn’t take me insurance. I have to pay out of pocket. I had to pay, without any assistance, for two tooth extractions and three root canals that failed. Then for a partial denture. Then for a full extraction of my upper teeth. Then the process of getting full dentures. All of this could’ve been avoided had I been able to find a dentist who took my insurance after my dentist retired, instead of going several years without seeing one. I am 25, have a full set of upper dentures, and have had to pay several thousands of dollars. Do better. — Cassidy – Dallas, PA 18612
In 2024, we’re launching a social media campaign similar to our #MedicaidMondays to make visible our need for the Adult Dental Benefit, to put public pressure on the Governor to pass the budget. To ensure the State will adequately fund the ADB restoration, we members of Put People First! PA must keep the pressure on Shapiro, building our base and sharing our stories to transform what is politically possible in this state. Our teeth are not disposable and neither are we.
Share a selfie and a sentence or two with why we must restore the Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit! For more information, check back for our social media guide coming soon!
