The Arc on Defeat of Senate Health Care Bill: “Never Underestimate the Power of the Disability Community”
Washington, DC – The Arc released the following statement following the defeat of the Health Care Freedom Act in the United States Senate:
“Never underestimate the power of the disability community, who took on this civil rights fight for themselves and future generations.
“The defeat of this disastrous health care bill is a huge win for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc thanks all Senators who voted against this bill. Medicaid and the home and community based services and supports program funds are safe, for now.
“Make no mistake – we still have work to do. This year, Congress and the Administration have put on the table over a trillion dollars in cuts to the program, and so the threats remain, whether they resurface in another health care bill, a tax bill, or at any time. Last night, 49 Senators voted for more than $200 billion in Medicaid cuts, and to strip 16 million individuals of their health insurance. Just a few months ago, the House passed legislation that included over $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid, and to take health insurance away from 22 million people. Each vote in favor of these cuts devalued the lives and rights of people with disabilities in our nation. States would have been forced to cut people from the Medicaid rolls or to substantially reduce services; home and community based services were at greatest risk. This harmful bill was crafted behind closed doors, in a disgraceful process that showed a callous disregard for the lives at stake.
“So the work of our movement continues. Advocates across the country will reach out to their Senators and Representatives to thank those who opposed this approach, voice their concerns about threats to Medicaid, and continue to educate elected officials about why Medicaid matters to them,” said Peter Berns, CEO, The Arc.
The Arc advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including Down syndrome, autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, cerebral palsy and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of over 650 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with IDD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.
During the past six months, most of my professional life has been consumed by the fight to save Medicaid. Today I was honored to speak as a sibling and professional at a Capitol Hill event celebrating the 52nd anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare, to highlight why we must continue our fight to SAVE MEDICAID.
We know the numbers – between 22-32 million will lose coverage, millions will lose Medicaid and anywhere from $202 billion (in the “skinny repeal”) to $836 billion (in the House bill) in cuts to federal Medicaid spending. But those numbers represent people, they represent Chris, they represent the 43 heroes from National ADAPT that were arrested last month after staging a die in at Senator McConnell’s office.
Families like mine started The Arc over 65 years ago to get people OUT of Institutions and included in their communities, and now those antiquated and segregating services may be the only thing left. This is because institutions and nursing homes remain mandatory services, while home and community based services are optional, and will therefore be the first cut when the devastating federal cuts to Medicaid come to the states. We cannot let that happen, we must SAVE MEDICAID. People’s lives literally depend on it. Chris’ does.
