Economy

Disability care cuts signal tough budget choices ahead

‘We’re kind of at the tip of the iceberg.’
Brady Hill gets a hug from his mother Cathrine after breakfast at their home in Meridian, Idaho, June 19, 2023. Brady survived a rare brain cancer as a baby, but requires round the clock care. Families of severely disabled children across the country are worried about the future of crucial Medicaid payments they started receiving to provide care during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)

Lawmakers in states led by both parties are considering cutting Medicaid funding for programs that help people with disabilities live at home, as they seek to rein in rising health care costs during a tight budget year.

Cuts enacted in Idaho and Maryland and proposed in Colorado and Missouri have prompted anguished protests from people with disabilities and their advocates. They say cutting funding for home and community-based services threatens people’s health, wellbeing and financial stability, and may not save money in the long run.

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