Contact: Jess Davidson, jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-465-5528

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives held its final vote on the budget reconciliation bill. After being approved by the Senate by a vote of 51 – 50, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, the budget reconciliation bill passed in the House. 

After holding the procedural vote open for hours on Wednesday night and after many hours of debate, the final vote occurred on Thursday afternoon. The bill passed by a vote of 218 – 214. The final bill cuts nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and will endanger 17 million Americans’ health insurance coverage.

“This is a devastating day for disabled Americans,” said AAPD President and CEO Maria Town. “The catastrophic effects of this bill will reverberate for generations to come. As a result of this bill, 51,000 Americans will die every single year from  needless, preventable deaths.”

The budget reconciliation bill will trigger a massive crisis in our healthcare system, which already struggled to support people with disabilities adequately and has been under even more significant strain since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. At least 300 rural hospitals are at risk of immediate closure because of this bill, and 700 more (or one-third of all rural hospitals in the U.S.) are at risk of closure due to financial strain. Nearly 14 million Medicaid enrollees reside in rural areas, including over 3 million disabled individuals. Without Medicaid funding, rural hospitals might face closure or be forced to cut services. This means Americans living in rural areas may soon reside a dangerous distance from the nearest hospital. Wait times will increase in all healthcare facilities, even those in suburban and urban areas, and even for patients not on Medicaid. 

“To every disabled American who feels terrified and defeated right now: You are not alone,” said AAPD President and CEO Maria Town. “I am crushed for every single disabled person who will no longer be able to work because they will lose coverage for the personal care attendant who ensures they can get ready for the office. I am terrified for every disabled American who will be weeded out by strict, difficult-to-keep-up-with administrative requirements. I am heartbroken for every disabled family who loses SNAP and will now have to choose between paying for medications and putting food on the table. No one should ever have to make these decisions.”

“While the outcome of today’s vote is an enormous blow, disabled people will keep fighting and working to build systems that allow us to lead full, dignified lives in the communities and with the people we love. Already, disabled people must adapt, share resources, and crowdfund to make up for gaps in programs and services that are meant to support us. Our community will continue to show up for one another, as we always have, to survive what comes next and insist upon a future where we can thrive,” Town concluded.

President Trump is expected to sign the bill as soon as possible, but the cuts will not take effect immediately. Cuts begin to go in effect at the end of 2026 and roll out over the course of 10 years from the legislation’s signature date. In the coming weeks and months, AAPD will provide resources and information to help members of the community navigate changes in care, health coverage, and benefits.

The post American Association of People with Disabilities Responds to Passage of Budget Reconciliation Bill: “This Is A Devastating Day for Disabled Americans” appeared first on AAPD.

The post Medicaid State Advocacy Guides appeared first on AAPD.

To access this resource as a PDF, click here.

What does it mean to advocate?

Advocacy simply means promoting the best interests and needs of a person or a group, including yourself. Advocates identify a problem and voice their opinion about potential solutions.

Why should you advocate?

An advocate is anyone who presses for change and improvement to the status quo to better their own lives and the lives of their communities. Advocacy helps people become more involved in important decisions that affect their daily lives, enables the voices of the masses to be heard, and, if done effectively, can sway policies and laws for the better. 

How do you advocate?

You can advocate in multiple ways, and you should engage in as many levels and ways as possible. Advocacy can happen at the local, state, and federal levels. You can 

• Participate in town hall and city council meetings
• Join organizations that support causes important to you
• Spread awareness and knowledge on social media
• Produce data and research that highlights your community’s pressing needs
• Host educational conferences and trainings

Who should you be talking to? 

Aside from raising awareness among your community and working in coalition with like-minded people and organizations, you should be talking to local, state, and federal-level decision-makers and politicians. Meet with your local and state officials as often as possible and send them emails, letters, petitions, and phone calls. You can do the same with your members of Congress as well. Try to meet with your member of Congress in person while they are at their in-district offices during congressional recess. You can also meet with them virtually if it is more accessible and if the offices can set it up.

Find your elected officials here. 

Where do you advocate? 

Face-to-face meetings with elected officials are the best way to communicate your message. You can meet with them or their staff in their offices in Washington, D.C, or their districts. While it is always great to advocate directly in front of your members of Congress in their DC offices, it is not always accessible to travel that far.  Members are often in recess, so they hold meetings within their state and district. Below are the steps to schedule either a Capitol Hill meeting or an in-district meeting with your elected officials. 

1. Find the contact information for your elected officials and their staffers here. 
2. Send an invitation to the office and request a meeting to discuss your concerns – you are more likely to meet with a staffer than the official themselves, but these meetings with staffers are just as important. 
3. Don’t be afraid to follow up if you don’t hear back within a reasonable time (they are busy people, but so are you!)
4. Once you hear back, respond with an email confirming your attendance and thanking the office.
5. Research the representative or senator and the issues that are important to them or what they are known for, and find ways to connect your problems and concerns to their areas of interest. 
6. Create a state/district-specific one-pager to leave behind
   1. For example, AAPD has a Medicaid leave-behind on our website that is free for everyone to use
7. Make it personal and tell your story! The whole point of this meeting is for elected officials and their staffers to hear from the people they are directly representing
8. Send a follow-up email after the meeting – thank them for their time, reiterate your message, and include any materials that were referenced or promised during the discussion

What should you be talking about?

One of the mottos of the disability community is “every issue is a disability issue”. However, you have limited time when speaking with a member of Congress and/or their staff, so you must pick the most urgent issue to discuss with them. This is often an issue that is a top priority for your area/state and relevant to the current political atmosphere. For example, since the start of President Trump’s second term, the top issues AAPD has been working on are cuts to Medicaid and the dismantling of the Department of Education. You can find talking points for those issues on our website. 

The post AAPD Advocacy Guide appeared first on AAPD.

For Immediate Release: July 1, 2025

Contact: Michael Lewis at mlewis@aapd.com; 540-447-9438

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) strongly condemns the budget reconciliation bill passed by the Senate, which includes an alarming $930 billion in cuts to Medicaid. These proposed cuts are even more severe than those passed by the House of Representatives and represent a direct threat to the health, independence, and lives of millions of Americans with disabilities.

Medicaid is a lifeline for people with disabilities. It provides essential services such as home and community-based services, employment supports, and critical medical treatments that enable individuals to live independently, participate in their communities, and maintain their well-being. The deep cuts proposed in this Senate bill would dismantle these vital supports, forcing many people with disabilities into institutions, limiting access to necessary medical care, and ultimately jeopardizing their ability to live full and meaningful lives.

The bill also includes stricter work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps millions of people with disabilities, older adults, and their families buy food each month. Furthermore, it goes beyond proposing SNAP cuts and also shifts the cost onto states, which would significantly impact their budgets and hit rural communities the hardest. 

“The Senate’s budget reconciliation bill is a cruel assault on disabled people and other marginalized communities,” said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. “These unprecedented cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will not only strip away essential services but will also inflict immeasurable harm on individuals with disabilities, their families, and their communities, all under the deceitful guise of preventing waste, fraud, and abuse, which rarely occurs. Disabled people have fought cuts before, and we will not only continue to fight against cuts that slash our services and threaten our rights, we will fight for more investment in services so that disabled people have what we need to thrive,” Town continued.  

“AAPD also extends its sincere gratitude to the Senators who, during the exhaustive 20-hour ‘vote-a-rama,’ offered crucial amendments to remove the bill’s cruelest provisions. This resulted in the removal of the harmful moratorium on state laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence and included proposed amendments to strip the bill of some of the worst of the Medicaid cuts, remove onerous work requirements, prevent bans on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare, and preserve vital food assistance. Their tireless work to mitigate the harm of this bill and make our government responsive to the daily needs of the American people is deeply appreciated,” Town concluded.

This fight is not over. The bill now returns to the House of Representatives for a vote on the Senate’s version. We are encouraged that some House members have already indicated their opposition to this harmful legislation. We urge all concerned citizens to contact their Representatives immediately and demand they vote NO on this destructive bill. The AAPD is firmly against any legislation that undermines the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. We call on Congress to protect Medicaid and ensure that people with disabilities have continued access to the services they need to thrive.

The post AAPD Condemns Senate Budget Reconciliation Bill and Deeper Medicaid Cuts appeared first on AAPD.

Note: This resource is based on a rapidly evolving situation and will be updated as we receive more information.

UPDATE from July 3, 2025:

Last night, the House started a vote on the rule to open debate around 9:30 pm ET. Initially, the rule did not have enough votes to pass, but vote was held open for five hours in order to get some Members of Congress to change their vote. The rule passed 219-213, and the bill could move forward for a full floor vote. The only Republican member of Congress to vote no was Representative Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania, the Chair of the Bi-Partisan Disabilities Caucus.

The House floor is currently debating the Senate-passed version with no changes. Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been speaking for more than four hours reading stories about the importance of Medicaid from all 50 states. There is still time to contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP.

UPDATE from July 2, 2025 at 7:53PM:

Current State of Play: Speaker Johnson brought the House to the floor today to vote on the rule to debate and the budget reconciliation text from the Senate, but the Republican  leadership is short of the votes needed to pass the rule for debate. The House floor has been frozen since the vote began around 2:00 pm ET as the leadership tries to have conversations to sway Members of Congress who have not decided how they will vote yet. This means that the bill is stalled. 

The content of the bill is still the same as what was in the Senate bill. It is critical that you contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP.

UPDATE from July 2, 2025:

Current State of Play: Early Wednesday morning, the House Rules Committee advanced the budget reconciliation bill after 12 hours of debate. The House Rules Committee plays an important role in determining how a bill will be considered on the floor. The committee can set time limits for debate, restrict or allow amendments, and even determine how certain amendments will be handled. 

There were no changes to the Senate’s version of the budget reconciliation bill in the House Rules Committee. The content of the bill remains the same as described in the update from July 1st update. The House is set to convene Wednesday morning and start voting on the rules to advance the legislation.

UPDATE from July 1, 2025:

Current State of Play: The Senate passed its version of the budget reconciliation bill on July 1st, with Vice President Vance casting a tie-breaking vote. This bill must still pass the House in order to be final.  Contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP. 

The Senate budget reconciliation bill makes the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, almost $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. This is about 20% of the federal Medicaid budget and would cause 17 million people to lose access to healthcare. The bill also contains nearly $200 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Four out of five households that receive SNAP benefits include a person with a disability. If passed by the House, these cuts will mean that disabled people and our families will go hungry. 

Throughout the Vote-A-Rama process, amendments were passed that changed what was in the original bill. Some parts of the bill were also taken out because they violated rules about what can be voted on by a simple majority through the reconciliation process. 

The following amendments were added to the Senate bill:

• The rural health fund was increased to $50 billion from $25 billion. It directs money to mental health and behavioral health clinics, but not other disability-specific providers.
• Minor funding for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

Neither of the increases within these amendments will come close to fully addressing the closures of rural health providers or the reduction of HCBS that this bill will cause if passed by the House.  

Some dangerous provisions got removed:

• The Medicaid funding reduction for states that cover undocumented immigrants with their own funds. This means that states that provide Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants with state funding will still receive their full federal match for Medicaid. 
• The prohibition on Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care. 
• A requirement for Medicaid applicants to verify citizenship 
• A 5-year moratorium on the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms by states as a condition of accessing funding for broadband infrastructure and bridging the digital divide faced by marginalized communities. This means that states can still 

But there are many harmful parts remaining. Here are a few examples of what’s still in the bill:

• Stricter work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and increased program costs for states with high overpayment rates
• A one-year prohibition on Medicaid payments to reproductive health 
• Medicaid cuts to states through provider tax caps, work requirements, more frequent eligibility determinations, and new copays for Medicaid recipients. All of these changes will make it harder for people to become eligible for and stay on Medicaid, resulting in people losing benefits. 
• A national school voucher program that will divert $30 billion from public schools to fund private school tuition, making it more difficult for students with disabilities to access special education services

What’s Next? We take the fight to the House. 

This fight is not over. Because the bill the Senate passed is different from the bill the House passed, the House has to pass this version of the bill for these changes to be final.

The House Rules Committee has already come together to prepare the Senate-passed bill for House floor consideration. The bill could be on the House floor as early as Wednesday morning, and debate and final votes on the Senate-passed bill begin. Please contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP. 

We are encouraged that some House members have already indicated their opposition to this harmful legislation. We urge everyone to contact their Representatives immediately and demand they vote NO on this destructive bill.

 AAPD is firmly against any legislation that undermines the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. We call on Congress to protect Medicaid and ensure that people with disabilities have continued access to the services they need to thrive.

UPDATE from June 29, 2025:

Current state of play: Very late on Saturday night, the Senate passed the motion to proceed by a vote of 51-49. Passage of the motion to proceed allows the Senate to begin debate on the reconciliation bill.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) joined with all Senate Democrats voting against the motion to proceed. Senator Paul has been outspoken in his opposition to the bill because of its substantial increase to the federal debt. Senator Tillis has been making headlines for his very recent, but very vocal, opposition to the bill’s Medicaid cuts.

After intense negotiations with Senate Republican leadership and Vice President Vance, several Republican holdouts withdrew their opposition. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) reported that he and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) agreed to vote for the motion in exchange for an amendment to the final bill that would end the 90% Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) for Medicaid expansion. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) did not confirm Senator Johnson’s statement. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was given several Alaska-specific provisions, including an increased FMAP for the state (although this was later ruled out by the parliamentarian after senator Murkowski voted for the motion to proceed). A previously included $25 billion rural hospital fund was enough to quell opposition from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).

Next steps: Last night’s vote was only the beginning of the Senate floor process. Senate Democrats are forcing a full reading of the 900+ page bill by the Senate clerks. The Senate has now entered 20 continuous hours of debate, called “vote-a-rama.” The hours are divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats will likely use all of their 10 hours of debate to highlight the unpopular parts of the bill. Republicans will probably forfeit most of their time to speed up vote-a-rama. If all stays on track for Republicans, a vote on the final bill should occur sometime on Monday.

Negotiations with Senate Parliamentarian still not finished: While a Monday vote is ideal for Senate Republicans, Sunday morning rulings from the Senate parliamentarian are casting doubt on that goal. The parliamentarian is still working but here’s what we know as of now, according to Senate Democrats. As of writing, more than 209 amendments have been filed.

What’s been removed from the bill?:
Repealing parts of the Biden era eligibility and enrollment rule for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Repealing parts of the eligibility and enrollment rule for the Medicare Shared Savings Program
Repealing parts of the nursing home staffing rule
Increased FMAP for high poverty states – this is an Alaska-specific provision
Increased payment for outpatient hospital treatments in Alaska and Hawaii
Expansion of the orphan drug exclusion in Medicare drug price negotiations

What’s still in the bill?:
Provider tax language provision that remains unchanged from Saturday morning draft
Limiting receipt of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits by certain immigrants
Barring Medicare participation for most non-citizens

What does this all mean?: Passage of any sort of reconciliation bill is not guaranteed! Thune continues to say a Monday vote is aspirational, and parliamentarian rulings are making that even harder. This makes all the more important that your Senators need to hear from you NOW that you oppose this budget and all cuts to Medicaid. Click here to tell them to vote NO on cuts to Medicaid and SNAP!

*If* the bill passes the Senate, it still has to be passed by the House. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says he will give House members 48 hours to return to DC to vote. As of now, several House Republicans are on record as no votes, with a potential final vote occurring Wednesday or Thursday.

Original Post from June 28, 2025:

This weekend, the Senate is trying to pass the budget reconciliation bill. AAPD is an outspoken opponent of the budget reconciliation bill, because of its significant cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential programs. 

The Senate Parliamentarian – a person whose job is to help the Senate follow its rules – found that some key parts of the bill violate budget reconciliation rules (read more about the budget reconciliation process here). In response, Senate leadership released a rewritten 1000-page bill early this morning. The Senate is trying to push through a vote on it today, even though there is no way Senators will be able to read all 1000 pages of the bill before they vote. 

This is especially concerning because the contents of this bill have the power to drastically change the country by taking away food and healthcare from millions of Americans, force millions of Americans into poverty, and kill at least 51,000 Americans every year whose deaths would have otherwise been preventable without this budget.

Your Senators need to hear from you NOW that you oppose this budget and all cuts to Medicaid. Click here to tell them to vote NO on cuts to Medicaid and SNAP!

The bill caps Medicaid provider taxes, which  makes it harder for states to fund Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid makes up 30% of state budgets, much of which is funded by Medicaid provider taxes. The bill also cuts federal Medicaid funding for states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, or currently provide coverage to undocumented immigrants with their own state funds. The bill also requires more people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to work, also known as “work requirements.” SNAP is an essential program that helps millions of people with disabilities, seniors, and their families buy food each month.

These rules will add substantial new costs for states, which could result in state cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, or other key areas like education and transportation. 

In addition, the revised bill says that states are not allowed to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms for ten years. States must agree to this if they want to access the bill’s funds for AI deployment and increasing access to broadband internet. States are more likely to agree to this because they want – or need – to access the bill’s $500 million in AI deployment and $42 billion in broadband internet funding. 

Artificial intelligence is a fast-evolving technology, and regulatory frameworks around AI are still under development. Without regulations and laws, it is easier for AI to discriminate based on disability, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, or other identities. This leaves marginalized groups, including people with disabilities, at risk of discrimination by the AI platforms and algorithms the government and many companies are now  using for everything from hiring processes to approving (or denying) benefit applications.

There are some positive things in the bill that would help disabled people. The bill does include minor funding increases for Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers. It also extends certain tax advantages for people with disabilities who have ABLE Accounts. These tax benefits help people with disabilities save money, which can be used for expenses that Medicaid or other insurance does not cover. 

However, these helpful parts are overshadowed by the bill’s massive cuts to Medicaid. These cuts would result in new, burdensome administrative and work requirements that will result in many people being unenrolled from Medicaid, even though they qualify for it. 

AAPD remains strongly opposed to the budget reconciliation bill. 

If successful, this afternoon’s procedural vote will trigger what is known as a “Vote-a-Rama”.  During this step of reconciliation, any Senator can offer an amendment to the bill to add or remove harmful provisions.  Once the Senate votes on final passage, the bill has to go back to the House of Representatives to work out the differences between the Senate Bill and the House Bill. Once the House approves the Senate’s version, the bill goes to the President to be signed into law. You can read more about the Budget Reconciliation process in AAPD’s Reconciliation Explainer here. 

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, plans to offer an amendment to the reconciliation bill during the “Vote-a-Rama” that would strike all provisions that cut Medicaid from the bill, and ensure that the ultra-wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes. AAPD has endorsed Sen. Wyden’s amendment.

The bill’s text could still change, especially during Vote-a-Rama. Several Senators have expressed continued reservations about the bill’s contents, and there are many hours of debate to come. AAPD will share updates as this process continues. 

Your Senators need to hear from you NOW that you oppose this budget and all cuts to Medicaid. Click here to tell them to support Sen. Wyden’s amendment and vote NO on cuts to Medicaid and SNAP!

The post Action Alert: Senate Budget Reconciliation Update appeared first on AAPD.

Contact: Jess Davidson at jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-465-5528

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) strongly condemns the Senate Finance Committee’s recently released budget reconciliation proposal, which makes devastating cuts to Medicaid that will disproportionately harm disabled people across the country. The proposal guts funding for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), creates needless paperwork requirements that will push eligible individuals out of Medicaid, and imposes requirements that are proven to fail to improve employment and healthcare outcomes.

This proposal is a direct assault on the civil and human rights of disabled Americans. Medicaid is a lifeline that enables millions of disabled people to live and work in their homes and communities rather than in institutions. Disabled people already struggle to have consistent access to personal attendant care and direct support work. Care workers currently face lack of job security and low wages.

When combined, this creates an ongoing national care worker crisis, which would only deepen if the Senate proposal passes. Receiving care at home enables disabled people to live at home instead of being forced into an institution. If this bill passes, our nation will see an increase in unnecessary institutionalization, and disabled people will be denied the basic dignity of living independent, self-directed lives.

The bill puts community engagement requirements on certain Medicaid enrollees, requiring them to work, volunteer, or be enrolled in an educational program for at least 80 hours a month. The inclusion of work requirements in the bill for people ages 19-64 is particularly harmful and is a policy specifically designed to decrease the number of people receiving Medicaid. Research has shown that such requirements do not improve employment rates, but do cause harm by penalizing people for losing their job. 

When workers lose their jobs, they lose their Medicaid because of these penalties. People with chronic illnesses, mental health disabilities, or fluctuating health conditions or employment situations are especially vulnerable to being dropped from coverage due to job loss penalties and administrative burdens. In many cases, the employment supports provided through Medicaid are what enable people with disabilities to be able to work in the first place.

Without employment supports, such as assistance getting ready for and transporting to work, occupational therapy, or other job assistance, many people will be forced off of Medicaid and unable to work, leading to certain financial devastation. Finally, the resources that states will be required to use to implement these bureaucratic policies will cause further delay in access to critical health, financial, and food support for all Americans, not just people on Medicaid.

In addition, the proposal’s requirement that Medicaid recipients re-certify their eligibility every six months is a particularly burdensome barrier to care. Many people with disabilities lack consistent access to the identification and medical documents needed to meet such requirements. Additionally, many Medicaid recipients do not have a computer, smartphone, broadband internet, or reliable transportation to assist with navigating complex administrative systems. These requirements will lead to widespread disenrollment from Medicaid, not because people are no longer eligible, but because the system makes it too hard to stay enrolled.

The Senate Finance Committee’s proposal also contains billions of dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps millions of low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities afford to buy groceries each month. The plan also shifts 5% to 15% of SNAP benefit costs to the states, which will force many states to make difficult budget decisions to reduce benefits or cut other vital programs instead. We know that when states face budget shortfalls, disability programs are often the first programs to get cut.

“These proposed Medicaid cuts are not only cruel and unprecedented — they are extremely dangerous,” said Maria Town, AAPD President and CEO. “The Senate’s budget reconciliation proposal doubles down on the harms contained in the House bill, cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid. This will only worsen the care crisis and increase our national debt at the expense of society’s most vulnerable members. People with disabilities, older adults, and low-income communities will pay the price with their health, their independence, and in too many cases, their lives.”

In addition to the significant barriers to Medicaid and SNAP access, AAPD is concerned about several other provisions of the Senate Finance Committee’s proposed bill.

The proposed bill includes a moratorium that would block all state and local governments from enforcing any law or regulation governing artificial intelligence (AI) for the next 10 years — including existing laws. State laws creating safeguards against exploitative AI mental health chatbots and misuse of patient data and as well as state laws prohibiting algorithmic discrimination in employment, housing, banking, and benefits determinations have provided necessary protection for disabled people and others who are at extreme risk for algorithmic discrimination. 

The bill also includes a provision that would give the federal government new authority to withhold or claw back all existing Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program funding from states that try to enforce safeguards from discriminatory and exploitative artificial intelligence systems for their citizens, forcing states into an impossible decision – protect people from exploitation, or lose billions of dollars meant to expand access to high speed internet for underserved communities, including people with disabilities.  

The Senate’s proposal does include some good provisions, including an extension of the increased contribution limits and other enhancements to ABLE Accounts, which allow individuals with disabilities to save money tax-free for future disability-related expenses. However, the positive impact of these ABLE provisions would be greatly diminished by the cuts to Medicaid, which will significantly reduce the ability of people with disabilities to save money and drastically reduce disabled people’s economic security overall. 

“AAPD calls on all Senators to reject this cruel and unjust legislation and instead work toward policies that strengthen, not cut, Medicaid and HCBS,” Town concluded. “We urge the public to contact their Senators and urge their friends, families, and neighbors to do the same. All Americans must unite to defend the rights of disabled people to live, work, and thrive in their communities.” 

Use AAPD’s tool to write and call your Senators in just a few clicks here. 

If calling isn’t accessible for you, you can submit a letter only by clicking here. 

The post AAPD Strongly Condemns Senate Proposal That Slashes Medicaid and Threatens Disabled Lives appeared first on AAPD.

Contact: Jess Davidson at jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-465-5528

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) condemns the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s budget reconciliation proposal in the strongest possible terms. This cruel and sweeping plan dismantles vital Medicaid protections, endangers millions of lives, and introduces alarming provisions that undermine the rights and well-being of disabled Americans.  

Among the most grievous measures in this proposal are devastating Medicaid provisions that would cut at least 13.7 million Americans off of health coverage, rolling back 15 years of progress towards healthcare coverage for all Americans. The proposal cuts $715 billion from the healthcare system, by imposing barriers like mandatory work requirements for Medicaid recipients aged 18-64, eligibility redeterminations every six months for Medicaid Expansion enrollees, and increasing healthcare costs for adults covered by Medicaid Expansion.

It also restricts federal funding for other critical healthcare infrastructure across this nation. Medicaid work requirements do not encourage greater employment. They penalize people for being out of work. Redeterminations do not reduce any kind of fraud or abuse of the system. Instead they increase administrative burdens for individuals and for states that are already facing budget shortfalls.  

AAPD President and CEO Maria Town stated, “The proposed Medicaid cuts will dismantle a lifeline that supports disabled individuals’ access to critical healthcare services, assistive technologies, and long-term care. Without Medicaid, countless disabled people  will lose their independence, their dignity, and far too often, their lives. Hospitals will close, community living infrastructure will deteriorate, premiums will skyrocket, and families will be forced into crisis.”

Town continued, “Some are trying to paint this so-called plan as some sort of middle ground. There is nothing reasonable or middle ground about ending access to care for millions of people, cutting payments to providers, and shifting costs to states.”

Newly revealed provisions in the bill also include Subsection (c), which prohibits state or  local governments from enforcing any laws or regulations concerning artificial intelligence (AI) models, systems, or automated decision-making systems for a 10-year period following the Act’s passage. AAPD is deeply concerned about the risks this poses to disabled people . Automated decision-making systems frequently exhibit systemic biases against marginalized communities. Automated decision systems and other AI tools have been shown to cut people with disabilities off of vital public benefits and preempting regulation for a decade will allow unchecked harm to proliferate.  

AAPD strongly condemns the inclusion of a 10-year moratorium on Biden-era long-term care facility staffing rules. Ideally, nursing homes and other institutionalized settings should not exist in the first place, and all disabled people should be able to live independently within their homes and communities. However, as long as these facilities remain a reality, proper staffing and fair compensation for care workers are essential to ensure safety, dignity, and high-quality care. Disabled people both provide and receive care, and improving the care economy is vital to fostering independence and inclusion. Blocking these staffing reforms undermines the humanity of residents and workers, prioritizing profits over lives.

AAPD is urging Congress to protect  Medicaid and reject this misguided and cruel budget bill that slashes healthcare benefits. The harsh and undeniable reality is that lives are at stake. Millions of disabled people will lose Medicaid. Disabled people will die.  

The timing of this proposal, in the wake of last week’s 24-hour Medicaid Vigil, underscores the urgency of the fight ahead. Advocates gathered at this event to honor Medicaid’s life-saving impact and to rally for its protection.  We can continue this momentum by contacting your Representatives and Senators today and telling them that any cuts to Medicaid are unacceptable!

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