Center for American Progress Releases Report Detailing How Pennsylvania Families’ Cost of Living Would Increase Under Republicans’ Tax Plan

June 25, 2025

PENNSYLVANIA - As the Senate negotiates the Republican Tax Scam that makes the largest cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in U.S. history in order to fund bigger tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, reports detail how working families in Pennsylvania will suffer as a result.

Congressmen Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), and Scott Perry (PA-10) all cast deciding votes to pass the bill through the House last month, despite hundreds of thousands of their own constituents relying on these critical programs. More than 30,000 constituents per district will lose their Medicaid coverage if this bill becomes law.

As Center for American Progress reports:

Medicaid provides health coverage to almost 3 million Pennsylvanians. The bill’s Medicaid coverage losses alone would lead to 589 avoidable deaths per year in Pennsylvania.

• The Center for American Progress projects that the bill’s Medicaid cuts, along with House Republicans’ refusal to extend the enhanced premium tax credits of the Affordable Care Act, would drive up uncompensated care costs in Pennsylvania by more than $1.1 billion by 2034, threatening the financial stability of the state’s rural hospitals, 24 percent of which are already at immediate risk of closure.

• These uncompensated costs could lead to the closure of Pennsylvania’s rural hospitals, making it harder for all Pennsylvanians to access care regardless of their source of health coverage. Losing out on significant federal Medicaid funds could also force the state to reduce or eliminate optional Medicaid benefits for people with disabilities, including home- and community-based care that enables them to live independently.

At a time of rising food costs, House Republicans’ plan to cut SNAP benefits would greatly affect families in Pennsylvania:

• 401,000 residents would be at risk of losing some or all SNAP benefits from expansions in who is subject to paperwork requirements. The average SNAP family would lose $255 per month in food assistance.

• Nearly 418,000 children could lose access to free school meals.

• 1,810 grocery stores and other SNAP retailers would face increased risk of financial instability due to decreased business from SNAP recipients.

• $110.5 million more would be spent on state administrative costs each year.

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