Washington D.C — A recently published article by The Pennsylvania Independent featured Krysten Xanthis – a Scranton, PA resident who relies on Medicaid for her ongoing care following multiple surgeries that saved her leg. Krysten outlines how Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid could threaten her access to treatment. She calls out her congressman, Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), for voting for these cuts while handing out massive tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.
This article comes after Krysten was featured in two separate Unrig Our Economy ads, where she calls out Congressman Bresnahan for voting for these drastic Medicaid cuts.
The Pennsylvania Independent: After Medicaid saved her leg, Scranton resident fights GOP health insurance cuts
- “There’s no way [Xanthis] could have afforded any one of the six surgeries she had, nor could she pay for her $800 brace or her $290 monthly pain medication, without her insurance. While she works as a home health care aide for a patient who also relies on Medicaid, her job doesn’t provide benefits nor a salary that would allow her to pay for another insurance plan or health care out of pocket.”
- “Now, after congressional Republicans slashed Medicaid funding as part of their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Xanthis is worried what is in store for her and the other 70.3 million people enrolled in Medicaid, the nationwide public health insurance program that covers about 3 million Pennsylvanians.”
- “‘When they make more cuts to it, or whatever else, God forbid they put an end to it, I will not have anything,’ Xanthis said. ‘I won’t have the medicine. I won’t have physical therapy because I cannot afford physical therapy. There’s a lot of people that probably couldn’t afford it either, but I cannot. I can’t afford the shots. I can’t afford the MRI. Every now and then they take another one. Or an X-ray even — an X-ray isn’t as much as an MRI, but I can’t even afford that.’”
- “Xanthis is now using her voice as someone who understands the benefits of Medicaid to call out Republicans who supported the cuts, particularly her own congressman, U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan.”
- “Bresnahan, a Republican who defeated Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright in the 2024 election, has recently faced criticism following reports from NBC News and the right-wing OAN that, prior to voting to cut Medicaid, he sold up to $130,000 worth of stock in four companies that manage almost half of the country’s Medicaid enrollees.”
- “For Xanthis, support from Bresnahan and other Republicans for cutting Medicaid is a slap in the face to herself and other Americans who are struggling to make ends meet in a country with rising costs for health care, groceries, housing, and more. Without Medicaid, Xanthis said, many of the people she knows and loves would be unable to afford health care.”
- “Now, nearly half a year after Republicans passed their bill, the effects of the Medicaid cuts are becoming clearer: hospitals and health clinics are closing. Planned Parenthood has had to shutter 20 clinics following the One Big Beautiful Bill becoming law — and that’s on top of 24 other clinics they had to shutter earlier this year because of other federal cuts. Home caregivers are facing reduced wages.”
- “Xanthis recently discovered Medicaid cut the number of times she can go to physical therapy from three times to twice a week. If Medicaid stops covering her physical therapy altogether, Xanthis said she’d likely be unable to work and would no longer have any income.”
To learn more about the campaign, visit UnrigOurEconomy.com or contact press@unrigoureconomy.com
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About Unrig Our Economy
Unrig Our Economy is a national campaign to fix the rules of our economy to make it work for working people. We know that when the middle class does well, all of us do well — which is why we’re fighting on behalf of working Americans and holding corporations, their wealthy executives, and the politicians who enable them accountable.