Did you know that more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States has a disability, and 16 percent of people all over the world — across age, gender, race, and other demographics — are disabled?1,2
In honor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law on July 26th, 1990, July is recognized as Disability Pride Month. It’s a time to celebrate people with disabilities, their contributions, and their culture, while acknowledging the challenges they face in the ongoing fight for equity and inclusion.
The ADA was a groundbreaking civil rights law designed to protect disabled people from discrimination, in addition to requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled employees and creating accessibility requirements in public spaces. Despite this, people with disabilities to this day generally face increased barriers and costs to get the care they need.
This year, we can’t help but think about how President Trump and Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill, which includes nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, will further hurt people with disabilities.
Medicaid provides home- and community-based care to enable children and adults with disabilities to live with their families and still receive the care they need to not just survive but lead fulfilling lives. Currently, around 4.5 million Americans depend on these services, empowering them to live at home, go to school, hold a job, and more.3
Trump and the GOP say people with disabilities won’t be affected by their recent cuts, but as the New York Times reports, health care experts disagree. Most of these home- and community-based services are considered “optional” by federal law, so they are often the first to go when budgets need to shrink.4
While disabled people will still be eligible for Medicaid, they may have to go through extra bureaucracy to get the care they need. These cuts could restrict who qualifies, cover less, eliminate programs altogether, and/or cut pay for home care providers, worsening the backlog of hundreds of thousands of people already on waitlists for services.
For many disabled people, this could mean the difference between living at home and being forced to live the rest of their lives in a facility.
We are committed to keeping up our fight to hold lawmakers accountable for making these devastating Medicaid cuts and our fight to achieve health care justice for all — including people with disabilities — through Medicare for All. We hope you’ll share your personal experiences with us to strengthen our message and movement.
In solidarity,
Nurses' Campaign to Win Medicare for All
Sources:
1 - CDC
2 - World Bank
3 - New York Times
4 - Ibid
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