On the first day of Disability Pride Month (July 1), the United States Senate voted to pass a dangerous budget bill that will make deep, harmful, and cruel cuts to Medicaid and other vital programs.
It is impossible to summarize the historic damage that this bill will do to our community. Containing even harsher provisions than the House originally passed, this bill proposes to cut $1 trillion in Medicaid, SNAP, and other long-standing supports and services that are vital to individuals with IDD and autism.
If signed into law, 17 million Americans could lose their health insurance. In Massachusetts, over 300,000 people could lose coverage, including people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid not just for insurance but for other services, including day programs and waiver-funded supports. The bill also includes more frequent eligibility redeterminations, which can cause eligible individuals to lose coverage for bureaucratic reasons.
Medicaid and SNAP cuts will also impact the human services workforce, many of whom rely on these lifelines. The impact on the state budget will also be significant, forcing leaders in Massachusetts to make hard choices regarding access to services, eligibility, or rates of pay due to decreased federal funding.
We thank our Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey for their strong “NO” votes today. This is not over: the bill now moves back to the House, and we will continue to work to share stories about the impact of this bill. We encourage you to continue to share your stories and concerns with us and to take action now.
This is a hard and frightening moment. But rest assured that we will never stop advocating to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are prioritized.
