Linn County panel to discuss potential impacts of Medicaid, SNAP cuts

CEDAR RAPIDS — A panel of area experts will meet next week to discuss the potential local impacts of proposed federal cuts to Medicaid and other social services.

The roundtable discussion will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Whipple Auditorium of the Cedar Rapids Public Library Downtown Branch, 450 Fifth Ave. SE. The free event is expected to last one hour, per a county-issued news release, and it will be livestreamed on the county’s Facebook page.

The panel — moderated by Linn County Supervisor Sami Scheetz — will discuss how changes proposed under the federal reconciliation and tax bill could affect area residents with a special focus on potential cuts to SNAP and Medicaid.

The bill previously passed the U.S. House and is currently making its way through the Senate. The House-passed version included reductions to public health insurance and food assistance program spending through Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The county release states the panel will “raise awareness about the real-world consequences these changes could have on the most vulnerable residents.”

Panelists include: