There's one thing to never lose sight of in the swirling debate over Trumpcare: it's all about the massive tax cuts for the wealthy. Every story about the machinations of the Republican Congress and White House on gutting Obamacare and Medicaid has to be viewed through that lens. Like this ACLU post detailing all the ways the bill would hurt the disabled.
Taking an Ax to Medicaid: According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the AHCA slashes $839 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years. […] Federal dollars have allowed states to expand services to people with disabilities and address the needs of people with disabilities on waiting lists. Through “per capita caps,” the AHCA dramatically slashes future federal funding for Medicaid, limiting the ability of states to respond to the needs of their residents.
Taking Our Lives and Our Freedom: For people with disabilities, Medicaid is more than just health insurance — it’s the main financing source for services like personal care attendants to help people get dressed, eat, and use the bathroom. These supports keep people with disabilities out of nursing homes and institutions. […]
Ending the Medicaid Expansion: The AHCA would end Medicaid expansion in 2020, forcing states to kick millions of people off of coverage and out of care. […]
Pre-Existing Condition Discrimination Is Back: Thanks to last-minute changes in the bill, states can waive Obamacare’s protections against pre-existing condition discrimination. […]
Annual and Lifetime Caps Are Back: The AHCA permits the resumption of annual and lifetime caps on coverage in states that waive essential health benefits and in large employer-provided plans, affecting more than 100 million Americans.
Talk about dystopia. People with severe disabilities that are now supported by Medicaid services, allowing them to participate in full, public lives will become shut-ins, reliant on family and charity for their care. Education and employment opportunities for many will be a thing of the past. States are going to have to decide whether they put limited resources into keeping children healthy, or providing long-term care to the disabled elderly. And more people will become disabled because they won't have access to regular, preventive care.
All that to give more tax cuts to the very rich. Republicans made a very clear decision here about which lives to value more, and let me tell you, it's not ours.
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