Residents urge Seneca County Board to press Congress on Medicaid cuts; board members signal support for a letter or resolution

A series of residents and petitioners used the public comment period to urge the Seneca County Board of Supervisors to press Congress to oppose proposed federal Medicaid cuts and to send a county resolution to the congressional delegation.

Frank Blaskowitz of Seneca Falls opened the petitioners portion with statistics he attributed to his congressional district and to New York state: numbers for Medicaid enrollment and Medicaid coverage of nursing-home births in New York were cited as evidence that cuts would hit vulnerable populations. He urged the board to pass a resolution and send copies to Rep. Claudia Tenney and U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. "Your voices can help provide that protection," Blaskowitz said.

Multiple other speakers followed. Rachel Weil of Seneca Falls told the board that local officials' intervention matters because Democratic and Republican members of Congress "respond to pressure from you as elected local officials." Richard Olsen, a Varick resident, described family experiences with disability and urged supervisors to contact Rep. Tenney. Tony Del Plato of Interlaken cited national reporting and Congressional Budget Office projections about proposed cuts and urged the board to oppose them. Nikki Slater of Waterloo noted that 7,748 Seneca County residents are on Medicaid — about 24% of the county population — and said school districts and early-intervention services also rely on Medicaid reimbursement. Martha Moser, a long-time pharmacist, said prior "Medicaid blackouts" caused pharmacies to be unable to dispense medication and warned of job losses if hospitals and nursing homes lose revenue.

Board response: Supervisor Kronware said he did not believe anyone on the board would oppose writing a letter to Rep. Tenney. Several supervisors nodded agreement and the chairman asked whether anyone else wished to comment. No formal resolution was moved or adopted during the meeting; later in the session multiple supervisors said they would support sending a letter or resolution and that it could be drafted for committee consideration.

Why it matters: Speakers repeatedly emphasized that federal Medicaid cuts, if enacted, would transfer costs to states and counties and could reduce services at hospitals, long-term-care facilities, schools, and early-intervention programs. They asked county officials to act now by petitioning federal representatives to oppose cuts and protect local services.

Ending: The board did not vote on a county resolution during the meeting. Supervisors indicated willingness to draft and consider a resolution or letter, and petitioners said they will circulate a draft (Yates County resolution was offered as a template). The public comment period ended with multiple requests that the board act to protect Medicaid funding for vulnerable residents.