Medicaid retains individuals of their properties and helps a useful workforce. Right here we’re, but once more, with Medicaid on the chopping block.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) mentioned final week that it will be a “pink line” for Home GOP members to vote on a bundle that didn’t embody main cuts to Medicaid. What he’s actually redlining is a daughter caring for her mom who depends on dwelling and community-based providers to remain in a neighborhood close to her. Or a sister whose disabled brother depends on Medicaid to proceed working and thriving at his job. Or the mom who will get important healthcare for her baby by Medicaid.
The burdensome and bureaucratic work necessities on the desk are simply the newest try to chop Medicaid to pay the payments with no regard for the individuals who can be impacted. Incapacity, ageing and care employee advocates have a transparent message for Congress: Medicaid is just not your piggy financial institution.
Whereas the headlines are flooded with protection of looming default and fierce negotiations, there isn’t significant protection of what’s at stake. Medicaid is a lot greater than the speaking factors or media protection on the debt ceiling.
- Medicaid is a state and federal partnership that funds healthcare for greater than 88 million People, together with 54 million older adults, youngsters and disabled individuals. It additionally does a lot greater than that.
- Medicaid is the primary funder for long-term look after the 5.5 million older adults and disabled individuals who depend on its providers and assist. Many individuals don’t know Medicare’s long-term care profit isn’t complete, so until you’ve saved a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} to have the ability to keep in your house, Medicaid is individuals’s lifeline. Medicaid funds homecare for older adults to age in place, and residential and community-based providers in order that disabled individuals, together with youngsters, can stay unbiased lives whereas staying of their properties and communities.
- Medicaid is a job creator—doing every thing from funding job teaching providers for disabled individuals, to discovering and sustaining employment, to being the first employer for long run care, and paying the wages of 4.7 million direct care staff and way more. You will need to be aware that direct care staff are going by an excessive workforce disaster, regardless of the rising want. Medicaid cuts would intensify this disaster and impression employment standing for a lot of direct care staff.
- Medicaid is fashionable with voters. Polling at Caring Throughout Generations confirmed that 72% of voters throughout the political spectrum view Medicaid favorably and 60% of voters personally know somebody benefiting from Medicaid.
- Medicaid is in want of funding—not cuts. For Medicaid-funded dwelling and community-based providers (HCBS), there are over 650,000 individuals on ready lists. That isn’t considering individuals who don’t know {that a} ready checklist exists of their state, however are nonetheless in want of providers.
And right here we’re, but once more, with Medicaid on the chopping block.
We’ve lived this actuality earlier than: In 2017, there have been too many makes an attempt to repeal the Reasonably priced Care Act and decimate Medicaid—and this time they’re proposing these cuts simply to pay their payments with zero thought for the human impression of their districts.
We can’t be distracted by drawn out speeches concerning the debt ceiling and default. It is a shameful assault on a program that makes our nation higher, retains individuals of their properties and helps a useful workforce. The members of Congress behind this comprehend it too—they know that disabled individuals, older adults, care staff and household caregivers would endure if Medicaid was minimize, or work necessities had been enforced.
Medicaid is just not a piggy financial institution for Congress. It’s so way more to the individuals of this nation who depend on it to stay a lifetime of their selecting. We want our elected officers to struggle for us and assist their constituents who depend on Medicaid.
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