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NJ-07 mother concerned about Medicaid cuts: “I’ve been calling Rep. Kean’s office every day. I’ve sent emails. I’ve gotten no response.”
It’s a day that ends in the letter ‘y’ – which means that vulnerable Republican Tom Kean Jr. is once again facing scrutiny in the local press for voting to rip away health care from his New Jersey constituents.
Brutal coverage from the North Jersey Record details how Tom Kean Jr. has completely ghosted his constituents, including a mother who depends on Medicaid to care for her twin sons.
NJ-07 mother Theresa Luoni tells the Record: “I’ve been calling Rep. Kean’s office every day. I’ve sent emails. I’ve gotten no response.” And when asked for comment by the Record about his vote for the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, Kean Jr. and his office “declined to answer questions on the record about the proposed cuts.”
In case you missed it…
North Jersey Record: How would Medicaid cuts hit disabled community in NJ? Mom frets as GOP offers assurances
By Gene Myers
May 20, 2025
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Theresa Luoni starts her days at dawn in Basking Ridge, helping her twin 12-year-old sons get ready — brushing teeth, getting dressed, managing meltdowns. Max and Dylan are “profoundly” autistic and need constant supervision, their mom said.
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The twins’ placements are funded through Medicaid, the state- and federally-funded health insurance program for low-income Americans. Their mother worries that could be in jeopardy due to a Republican budget in Washington that calls for $625 million in Medicaid cuts.
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“This would be the biggest cut to Medicaid in the program’s history,” said Andrea Ducas, vice president for health policy at the Center for American Progress, a progressive public policy think tank. The Congressional Budget Office projects that 7.6 million people could lose coverage under the House proposal, and up to 14 million could become uninsured when combined with other Republican policy proposals, she said.
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Kean’s office, through a spokesperson, declined to answer questions on the record about the proposed cuts.
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About 1.8 million New Jersey residents are enrolled in Medicaid, including children, older adults and people with disabilities. Any significant changes to eligibility, funding or coverage could affect a wide range of services, from home care to school-based therapies and medical treatments, advocates said.
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More than 73,000 people in Kean’s 7th Congressional District are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the Center for American Progress.
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For Luoni, the stakes feel intensely personal. “Without Medicaid, I would have to choose whether I could eat or afford their health care,” she said of her sons.
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She has tried to work, but full-time caregiving has made it nearly impossible, she said. “I’ve lost six jobs in the past two years trying to work and be a caregiver,” she said. “I don’t own a car. I was walking to work at 4:30 in the morning. If something happens at school or therapy, I have to go right away. There’s no other option.” She now rents a room in her mother’s house.
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“People think we’re getting luxuries. We’re not. We’re getting vaccines, eye exams, dental care, preventative care,” she said. “It’s what allows my kids to keep learning and live at home.”
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Luoni has tried to raise her concerns with lawmakers, including Kean, whose district includes her home.
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“I’ve been calling Rep. Kean’s office every day. I’ve sent emails. I’ve gotten no response,” she said. Earlier this year, she brought her sons to a protest outside his district office in Bernardsville. She also testified at the Statehouse in Trenton during a budget hearing.
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