LEWES, Del. - Senator Marie Pinkney will convene a Sussex County Medicaid Roundtable on Thursday, Nov. 13, in Lewes to hear directly from healthcare providers, patients and advocates about the mounting challenges facing people in southern Delaware amid cuts to federal assistance programs.
As chair of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, Pinkney is leading this second stop in a statewide tour aimed at reevaluating the future of Medicaid in Delaware. The roundtable follows a similar event held in August. Pinkney said Delaware, like many states, is beginning to feel the effects of reductions to Medicaid, SNAP and other safety-net services caused by the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Thousands of families across our state are facing a torrent of obstacles – inflation, disappearing benefits, unemployment, and limited access to care,” said Sen. Marie Pinkney. “In Sussex, those realities are magnified. When there is only one practicing OB-GYN serving an entire county, we need to listen and act to understand how we can offer support not just to New Castle County, but to all communities throughout the state.”
The roundtable will focus on care access, provider shortages and how state and community partnerships can respond to growing federal uncertainty. Organizers say the discussion will center on the unique barriers rural and marginalized communities face when trying to access health services in southern Delaware.
Some of the panelists for the discussion include Bayhealth Medical, Beebe Healthcare, La Red Health Center, TidalHealth Nanticoke and 11 others. The conversation will also look at how partnerships between the state and local health care providers can ensure continuity of care despite a tightening safety net.
This comes as Governor Matt Meyer announces the state's application to a federal program that would fund 15 projects to expand healthcare access and the workforce in rural Delaware.