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Seneca County residents urge supervisors to plan for Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare cuts
Summary
Two Seneca Falls residents told the County Board that proposed federal Medicaid and entitlement reductions would strain local health and social services and asked the board to prepare outreach, shelter and nutrition responses and to pass a resolution urging congressional action.
Frank Blasquitz, a Seneca Falls resident, told the Seneca County Board of Supervisors during public comment that he and his wife moved to the Finger Lakes five years ago and are worried about proposed federal cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. "We want no cuts to Social Security," Blasquitz said, urging the board to prepare now and "plan for the worst, and hope for the best." He asked the board to create a special task force to contact veterans, seniors, parents, Medicaid recipients and others to assess needs and to consider passing a resolution urging Rep. Claudia Tenney and Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to oppose reductions in entitlements.
Why it matters: Blasquitz cited local consequences he expects if Medicaid/CHIP funding is reduced, including threats to long-term care and supports for people with disabilities. He told the board that, "Over 42 percent of our Seneca County children are on Medicaid or CHIP based on 2023 data," and asked county leaders how they will maintain services and support residents if state or federal funding shrinks.
At the same meeting, Nicole Tedetsky, a Seneca Falls resident who identified herself as disabled, described Medicaid as "half of my insurance" and said she fears losing essential care. "If it's gone, what is gonna happen?" she asked the board, warning that Medicaid loss could increase emergency-department use, push patients into debt, and cause closures and job losses in the local health sector.
Board response and next steps: Supervisor Enslow said he had met earlier with Josh Fahey, the Finger Lakes outreach director for Rep. Claudia Tenney, and provided Fahey's contact information to the board to help constituents connect with congressional staff. The board did not take immediate formal action such as passing a resolution during the meeting on either the task-force suggestion or the request to demand congressional action; the public comment was entered into the record and the agenda proceeded to routine business. Later in the meeting supervisors voted to enter an executive session to discuss pending litigation, and no further committee vote on a Medicaid-related resolution was recorded that night.
What to watch: Residents urged county-level planning and outreach, and asked supervisors to press federal representatives for hearings or town halls; any formal board resolution or staff directive in response would likely appear on a future agenda.
