The U.S. Senate may soon vote on a federal budget that includes many of President Trump’s priorities. A bill know as "One Bill Beautiful Bill," passed the U.S. House last month with significant changes to Medicaid, despite Republicans insisting for months that they would not cut Medicaid.
The proposed budget would remove over $600 billion from Medicaid. However, Michigan’s Republican representatives argue these are not “cuts." They claim they are “protecting” Medicaid by eliminating “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Regardless of the terminology, these changes could lead to millions losing their Medicaid coverage by 2027, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Nearly two million Michigan residents, including many individuals with disabilities, rely on Medicaid. State officials may face the difficult decision of either allowing many people to lose coverage or making cuts elsewhere to compensate for the loss of federal funding.
Amanda Rhines, the director of Disability Network Lakeshore, a center for independent living that serves people with disabilities in Ottawa and Allegan Counties, has expressed concerns about these developments.
Terry DeYoung, a Holland resident who recently retired after 14 years as the disability concerns coordinator for the Reformed Church in America, is currently the board president of Disability Network Lakeshore. He shared insights about how individuals in the disability community are responding to changes in the benefits system.
Listen to the Stateside podcast to hear the conversation.
