Medicaid is the primary health insurance for people with disabilities. It provides access to healthcare needs such as prescription medications, medical equipment, and services.
Medicaid is generally the only source of funds to support people with disabilities to live and work in the community – a cost-effective and pro-family alternative to segregated, institutional care.
Medicaid is at risk for funding cuts. The US House Budget Committee released a report detailing their recommendation for caps on Medicaid funding. That means that each state would get a set amount of money to cover all of their Medicaid programs and that would be devastating for people with disabilities. The US House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees funding for programs including Medicaid, has been tasked with cutting $880 billion over the next 10 years from their section of the budget. There is concern cuts will be made to Medicaid to help the committee make their goal of $880 billion.
In this video, Lisa Poteat, Interim Executive Director at The Arc of North Carolina, describes Medicaid for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Medicaid is a big health insurance program that helps people with I/DD. It’s funded partly by the government and partly by the state. Even if you don’t have a lot of money, you might be able to get Medicaid. It helps pay for things like doctor’s visits and special therapies. In North Carolina, many people with I/DD can get Medicaid, but you have to apply through the Department of Social Services to see if you qualify based on your income.
This article was written by Lisa Poteat, Interim Executive Director, of The Arc of North Carolina.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health insurance and access to long-term care to more than 2.6 million people in North Carolina, including North Carolinians with disabilities.
In North Carolina, there are an estimated 200,000 people living with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD). People with IDD represent an array of conditions, including but not limited to, autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Williams syndrome, and Fragile X syndrome.
Contact your representative TODAY and ask them to support Medicaid. |
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Budget negotiations are moving really fast! Our Advocacy team has been working hard asking legislators to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One of the many legislative agenda items we are focused on: protecting Medicaid. Congress is moving very quickly to pass a Budget Resolution, which calls for Committees to implement steep cuts in Medicaid. The House Budget Committee passed its Budget Resolution of at least $880 billion over ten years to Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other programs. Since Social Security and Medicare are perceived as sacrosanct, that means most of these cuts will be to Medicaid and SNAP. The Senate Budget Committee calls for a minimum of $1 billion in cuts from the Finance Committee. These steep cuts over 10 years will likely: · Take health care away from people with disabilities. · Cut access to important therapies and services provided in the community. · Reduce long term care services and supports in the community. · Cut pay for providers of services, direct support professionals, and caretakers. Reach out to your Member of Congress today and tell them to stop cuts to Medicaid. Congress is on recess February 17-21 and will be home in their districts. Reach out to their office and ask for a meeting! Here’s what you can do: |
Click the button below to reach out to your representatives.Tell them Medicaid Is a Lifeline for People With Disabilities! Millions of children and adults with disabilities rely on Medicaid for the support they need to live in their communities and their health care coverage. In 2025, Congress has to make big decisions about what our nation’s priorities should be and how to pay for them. Some policy makers think there is money to spare in the Medicaid program. We know that’s not true. The program must be strengthened, not reduced. |
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| Click the button below to find out who represents you in Congress. |
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Tell Congress: Please Don’t Take Away My Healthcare & Services! |
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The House of Representatives is about to vote on a bill that will start the process to cut $800 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. Call or email your representatives TODAY and tell them you don’t want your (or your loved one’s) healthcare and critical services to go away. When you call the office number, you will probably speak to a legislative assistant who will simply indicate in writing how you, the constituent, would like the representative to vote. All you need to do is say: “My name is ____ and Medicaid is important to me. Please do not cut funding.” If you would like to say more about your story or your reason, that is fine, but this is a very simple, quick call (or email). Information on how to contact your representative is at the bottom of this email. Things to remember: Medicaid provides essential healthcare and services to millions of children and adults with disabilities. Medicaid changes lives:
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| Click the button below to find out who represents you in Congress. We have heard that calling directly or emailing them directly from their contact page is what they prefer when hearing from a constituent. |
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The Arc of NC’s advocacy team is working hard for you, and we want to provide regular updates, so you know about our work in the IDD space in North Carolina. State Update: When the new session started in January, there were a lot of new legislators. Many of the committee meetings are focused on learning […]
We wanted to update you on the activity regarding the proposed 2025 budget from the US Congress.First, thank you to everyone who’ve contacted their representatives and senators to tell them why Medicaid is important for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We’ve received feedback from some of our NC congressional representatives that hearing from […]
Budget negotiations are moving really fast! Our Advocacy team has been working hard asking legislators to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One of the many legislative agenda items we are focused on: protecting Medicaid. Congress is moving very quickly to pass a Budget Resolution, which calls for Committees to implement steep cuts in […]
