Commentary Blames PA GOP's OBBBA Votes for Measles Spread
In a commentary piece, the author argues that Pennsylvania's Republican members of Congress bear responsibility for the state's measles outbreak, which has reached over 1,000 cases, 198 hospitalizations, and five deaths in 2026. The author contends that nearly all Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which they claim is causing coverage losses that reduce access to vaccines, citing over 55,000 Pennsylvanians losing Medicaid or CHIP coverage by June and over 200,000 dropping ACA marketplace coverage by September. The author links uninsurance to lower vaccination rates and argues that federal vaccine policy changes under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. compound the problem. The piece calls for restoring affordable health coverage to protect public health and herd immunity.