AFSCME District 1199C NUHHCE ‘26 Budget Statement

AFSCME District 1199C NUHHCE members welcome the passage of Pennsylvania’s 2026–27 state budget and are pleased that lawmakers reached an agreement earlier than they have in recent years.

We appreciate the renewal of the hard-fought 70% care ratio for nursing homes, which ensures that Medicaid funding continues to reach the bedside through worker wages and benefits. We also celebrate the long-overdue Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) secured for our pre-Act 9 AFSCME state retirees in this year’s budget.

“While we celebrate this victory for state retirees, we remain deeply concerned about the future of healthcare delivery in Pennsylvania under this budget. The failure to address unstable long-term care funding, combined with the impending Medicaid cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), will only deepen the care crisis facing Pennsylvanians. We need sustainable revenue sources to ensure that caregivers have the resources necessary to provide high-quality healthcare throughout the Commonwealth, especially for our most vulnerable residents,” said Dionne Gary, President District 1199C.

District 1199C will continue working alongside our labor, legislative, and community partners to advocate for progressive revenue solutions that will generate the billions of dollars needed in the years ahead to sustain essential healthcare and human services across Pennsylvania.