Medicaid=Lifeline

On Saturday, disability rights advocates gathered at the Minnesota Capitol to protest program and service cuts. Demonstrators said that President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts could jeopardize access to housing, healthcare, and education for disabled people.

“This is an attack on human rights,” said Rep. Kim Hicks. “It is an attack that is coordinated to ensure that people with disabilities go away. We’re staying in the community and we’re going to fight for the support we need to do that.”

 The Arc of Minnesota, an organization that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, coordinated the rally. The organization is concerned that budget cuts will affect or eliminate the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Minnesota Disability Law Center, the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, and Head Start.

“All of these institutions have been built up over decades to help people with disabilities live a more independent life,” said Maren Christenson Hofer, an Arc of Minnesota board member. “And what we’re seeing now is really this tidal wave of cuts to programs that is moving us in the wrong direction.”

Senator Jim Abeler, a Republican from Anoka, also spoke at the event. He is one of numerous politicians that support bipartisan financing for disability services and programs. “This is not a political matter,” he said. “It’s a matter of priorities.”

National data shows that much of the public is opposed to cutting Medicaid. Approximately 76% of the general public is opposed to large Medicaid cuts. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that if Republicans want to achieve their savings goals, they will most likely have to eliminate Medicaid entirely.

The elimination of Medicaid would be devastating for Americans. Medicaid provides health insurance to 80 million low-income, elderly, and disabled Americans, or 20% of all Americans. In 2023, it cost taxpayers $870 billion.

Medicaid is particularly critical for certain populations. In 2023, Medicaid covered nearly 40% of children, over 80% of children living in poverty, nearly 17% of adults and nearly 50% of adults in poverty. 

Black, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) children and adults are more likely to receive Medicaid coverage than White children and adults. Medicaid also covers more than one-fourth of people aged 19 to 64 with disabilities.

 Medicaid is a vital program throughout all stages of life. It provides coverage for 41% of births in the US. It also covers nearly 50% of children with special healthcare needs, nearly 63% of nursing home residents, 29% of non-elderly adults with mental illness, and 40% of non-elderly adults with HIV.

I am one of those people who relies on Medicaid. As a person with cerebral palsy, Medicaid impacts me every single day. Medicaid allows me to live in my apartment where I receive around-the-clock care. In September of this year, at the age of 26, Medicaid will be my only source of health insurance. 

In my case, Massachusetts Medicaid provides the funding for my PCAs (Personal Care Assistants). My PCA helps me with activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, and toileting. Without Medicaid, I wouldn’t be able to pay for PCA services, which cost more than $50,000 annually.

Medicare and private insurance companies don’t cover home-and community-based services which allow people to remain in their communities. The only way to get coverage for these services is through Medicaid. 

In most cases, home and community-based services are less expensive than institutional care.  The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that home and community-based services cost 50% less than institutional care.  In 2020,  KFF, which was formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average annual cost per person for home and community-based services averaged slightly more than $36,000, whereas institutional costs averaged more than $47,000.

Medicaid is more than just a health insurance program. It provides access to services that many people couldn’t access otherwise. Medicaid is the difference between life and death for many. People’s lives should be more important than money and politics. 

Sources:

Chidambaram, Priya, and Alice Burns. “How Many People Use Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports and How Much Does Medicaid Spend on Those People?” KFF, KFF, 14 Dec. 2023, http://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/how-many-people-use-medicaid-long-term-services-and-supports-and-how-much-does-medicaid-spend-on-those-people/.  

Gerezgiher, Feven. “Minnesotans, Lawmakers in St. Paul Protest Federal Cuts to Disability Funding.” MPR News, NPR, 4 May 2025, http://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/05/03/minnesotans-lawmakers-in-st-paul-protest-federal-cuts-to-disability-funding. 

Hinton, Elizabeth, et al. “10 Things to Know about Medicaid.” KFF, KFF, 18 Feb. 2025, http://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/10-things-to-know-about-medicaid/. 

Kosofsky, Isadora, and Abby Goodnough. “Medicaid Is Not a Top Campaign Issue. but for These Voters, It’s Crucial.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company , 26 Oct. 2024, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/26/us/medicaid-election-voters-photos.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VE4.kycA.3Ph6OZk9LLH2&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare#.