Medicaid is a vital safety net for individuals with disabilities, providing coverage for a range of medical services and long-term care that are often not covered by other insurance. Medicaid cuts can have devastating effects on the disability community.
Our community shared powerful and vulnerable reflections of the profound need for Medicaid. There is strength in numbers, add your story.
Kristen J. from Texas
Medicaid allows me to be independent and a contributing member of society. If Medicaid is cut it would jeopardize my ability to contribute as a taxpayer through my full-time job with the state. Medicaid cuts could mean I couldn’t afford my expensive medication or durable medical equipment that isn’t completely covered by my private healthcare insurance.
I would no longer be able to contribute to society because Medicaid cuts could affect my entire livelihood.
Stacy G. from Tennessee
I was approved for Tennessee’s personal assistance program, and no open slots are available. I am now bedbound and homebound in jeopardy of not being approved for long-term Medicaid due to funding concerns.
Medicaid already does not pay for everything that we need but losing access to what we do have is unfathomable.
Katrina D. from Texas
My daughter sustained a spinal cord injury one year ago due to a car accident. I’m a single mother, and for me to get her the best therapy, I have to live in Ronald McDonald houses thousands of miles away from home.
I can’t work because she has three hours of therapy a day. Because of this, she can’t go to school, so I also homeschool her. We need Medicaid!
Ryan S. from Connecticut
I am a young adult with a disability and Medicaid has changed my life. Prior to moving to Connecticut, I was living in a state without expanded Medicaid, living with a progressive genetic condition that had not been diagnosed yet.
I was practically housebound at 25 years old and had severe mobility impairments but could not access any medical care. I was homeless, living with friends, and unable to work due to my poor health. I could not afford to go to the doctor, and it was an extremely scary time.
I came to Connecticut, which expanded Medicaid in 2022. Because of Medicaid, I have a new wheelchair and proper medical care for the first time. I was in so much pain, and now things are significantly better. Without Medicaid, I would not be able to go to the doctor or afford my medications.
Many of my disabled peers would not be able to afford their life-saving medications and ongoing care without Medicaid, and many would likely die if Medicaid were to be cut.
Michelle M. from New Hampshire
As a C5-6 quadriplegic due to spinal cord injury, I rely heavily on home care workers for my everyday needs. These Medicaid-paid personal care attendants help me with all activities of daily living, including toileting, dressing, bathing, grooming, and overall health maintenance.
Without these dedicated underpaid professionals, I would have no life. No job, no friends, no social support network, no adventures, no fun; a life devoid of meaning. If not for my PCAs I would certainly be forced into a crowded, understaffed, nursing facility where I might quite literally die from sub-par and under personalized care.
It boils down to this: No Medicaid equals a slow, painful death for me and those like me.
David W. from Massachusetts
Medicaid has been my lifeline. I was paralyzed from chest down mountain biking in 2010 and need PCAs to help me get dressed, do daily tasks, cook, exercise and more. I needed medications and mobility devices like my wheelchair from the help Medicaid has given me. As well as cutting costs for much-needed medications.
I now help my community. I am a business owner. All this is possible due to the support Medicaid has given me over the years.
United Spinal needs your help to fight for accessible communities, equitable healthcare, and policies that support independent living.