Today, Congressional Republicans passed their budget bill (H.R.1), which will rip health care away from millions of Americans and make life much more difficult for people with disabilities and their families. This is a devastating blow to the broad coalition of people with disabilities, older adults, caregivers, health care providers, and state officials who have tried to tell Congress, again and again, that they are making a mistake in pushing this legislation forward. Medicaid is a promise from the federal government to people with disabilities, a reflection of our values as Americans that everyone should have the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For millions of Americans, Medicaid provides a better shot at achieving those ideals amidst systems that still privilege the few and disenfranchise many.
While these cuts will be implemented over the course of the next ten years, the effects will reverberate and people with disabilities, their families, friends, caregivers, and allies will not forget this cruelty. We will not forget that representatives in Congress and this Administration claimed they would protect Medicaid while they actually enacted the biggest healthcare cuts in our nation’s history. This bill does not strengthen or preserve Medicaid but contorts it to force states into cutting services and make people jump through even more onerous hoops to get the healthcare they need. The cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Medicare will disproportionately affect people with disabilities. The disability community will remember this moment—that on the eve of the 4th of July, our government has not only failed us but has intentionally forsaken us. As we anticipate the President signing the bill into law on Independence Day, we will know that this bill is anti-American by the way it decimates the systems that empower people with disabilities to live independent, meaningful lives.
AUCD’s Network of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Programs, and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRCs) remain committed to fighting for quality of life, health, and well-being of people with disabilities. While lawmakers have failed our community today and we mourn the harm to people with disabilities, we will continue to fight.
Plain Language:
For the past few months, Congress has been working on passing a big bill that affects how the government spends money in a process called reconciliation. Reconciliation is usually used when one political party (either Democrat or Republican) is in charge of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Presidency. This process allows a party to pass bills even if the other party does not like them very much.
There were a lot of people who did not want this bill to pass because it would take health care away from people and make it harder for people to afford food. Many people with disabilities, older adults, advocates, doctors, caregivers, and people who work at hospitals spoke out and told Congress not to pass the bill. But Republicans in Congress did not listen.
On July 3, Congress passed this big spending bill. The bill includes the biggest cuts to Medicaid funding in US history. It will take Medicaid away from millions of people and even make it harder for people to get health insurance in other ways. Medicaid helps people with disabilities live independent lives in the community and stay healthy and safe. This bill will make people with disabilities do more paperwork and take more steps to get their healthcare. Because of these changes to Medicaid, people will have a harder time getting the services and care they need. People with disabilities and their families will remember that Members of Congress and the Administration made these healthcare cuts.
It is worrying that this bill is being passed before the 4th of July, a day that is supposed to represent independence and freedom, because this bill does the opposite.
Even though this is a sad day, AUCD and its programs will keep fighting people with disabilities. We will not give up on making sure people with disabilities get the healthcare and support they need. We will continue to fight.
