‘Just cruel’: Medicaid halt in California and Minnesota plunges caregivers and disabled people into uncertainty

Shannon Rosa, a senior editor at Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, is devastated by the recent halt in Medicaid funding for California. The Trump administration has withheld $867 million in Medicaid funding for the state, which will strain the state budget as they continue to cover Medicaid services without federal reimbursement.

Robert F Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, claims that the funds are often used for in-home services that should be provided by family members. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, asserts that such services can be abused. Rosa explains that these in-home supportive services (IHSS) allow her to care for her disabled son without needing to work outside the home.

She emphasizes that without these services, families will face economic instability, with caregivers forced to take on additional jobs while their disabled family members go without care. Home-based services have become a focal point in accusations of fraud, but officials have not specified what exactly is fraudulent, leading to concerns about the lack of proof.

At the same time, Rosa points out that home-based services are less expensive than institutional care, highlighting the research supporting this claim. She also notes that the administration's policies have affected disabled people in other ways, including more paperwork requirements and cuts to food programs like SNAP. Disabled people and their caregivers across the country are suffering from this cruel decision, with the burden falling on those who need the services.