For generations, Americans have relied on vital federal programs that form the foundation of our social safety net. While Social Security and Medicare are household names, Medicaid—though equally critical—often flies under the radar despite serving nearly 80 million Americans. This essential program faces serious threats that could devastate vulnerable populations and healthcare systems nationwide.
The Hidden Backbone of American Healthcare
Most Americans have no memory of lives without Social Security and Medicare. Today, these programs provide a financial safety net and basic health care for seniors, lifting them from poverty so they may live with dignity. These programs represent promises kept to all Americans who paid into them throughout their working lives.
Many Americans also rely upon a lesser-known but equally essential federally funded health-related program—Medicaid. Medicaid covers medically related services to one-fourth of the American population—nearly 80 million children and adults—including those too young to qualify for Medicare and too poor to afford healthcare otherwise.
Medicaid serves as the major funding source across the country for hospitals, community health centers, physicians, and nursing homes. Although federally funded, Medicaid is administered by individual states, which often use different names, making the program less visible to the public. In Wisconsin, it’s called BadgerCare Plus; in Oklahoma, SoonerCare; and in California, Medi-Cal—to give a few examples.
Supporting Children with Disabilities
Medicaid does something else crucial: it provides funding for services enabling children with disabilities to receive an education and live with their families. Today’s Americans may know little of life for children with disabilities prior to 1976. In that pivotal year, what is now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act passed by Congress guaranteed a “free and appropriate education” to all children.
Before this landmark legislation, children with disabilities were barred from their neighborhood schools, spending their lives in back bedrooms at home or in institutions for people with mental retardation or mental illness. These human warehouses were 20th-century versions of the “lunatic asylums” and “poorhouses” of Charles Dickens’ times, lacking rehabilitative and compassionate care.
Threats to Essential Services
Despite campaign promises to protect these vital programs, current budget proposals target massive funding cuts to Medicaid. Everything appears to be on the chopping block, accompanied by unsubstantiated claims of fraud. The administration isn’t content with eliminating health-related funding—there are also efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, the key agency with oversight of legislation protecting basic civil rights and providing educational and medically-related supports to children with disabilities.
The Far-Reaching Impact of Medicaid
Losing Medicaid would be catastrophic for millions of Americans. Beneficiaries include those with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, sensory impairments, spinal cord and traumatic brain injury, depression, schizophrenia, intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, Down Syndrome, and functional limitations from chronic illnesses.
The program’s scope is staggering:
- Medicaid funds nearly 60% of residential and personal care nationwide
- It covers one-fifth of total U.S. hospital costs
- It represents nearly one-fifth of all U.S. health-related spending
- It supports approximately 38 million children, including those with complex medical needs
Comprehensive Coverage Beyond Basic Healthcare
Medicaid’s coverage extends far beyond what many realize. The program funds long-term services, therapy, community-based support, personal care, and employment assistance. It pays for medical equipment including assistive technology and mobility aids prescribed by healthcare providers.
That wheelchair your family member uses to get around was probably funded by Medicaid. The long-term nursing home placement or in-home care for someone with a debilitating disease such as Parkinson’s—Medicaid provides that. Treatments for traumatic brain injury resulting from traffic or water accidents and falls—Medicaid covers those too.
Critical Support for Education
For children with disabilities, cutting Medicaid means losing essential services in both public and private schools. Funding could end for specialized transportation and nursing, speech-language pathology, audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, personal care, counseling, and psychological services.
Without these supports, many students with disabilities would be unable to attend school or benefit from educational opportunities guaranteed by law. This would effectively turn back the clock to an era when children with disabilities were excluded from educational settings and denied opportunities to reach their potential.
Preserving Human Dignity
Medicaid represents more than just a line item in a budget—it embodies our commitment as a society to care for those who need assistance. The program ensures that individuals with disabilities, chronic conditions, and limited financial resources can access the care they need to live with dignity and participate in their communities.
Cuts to Medicaid would deny millions of Americans access to desperately-needed supports and the right to live with dignity. Such reductions would not strengthen our nation—they would only make it more difficult for vulnerable populations to receive necessary care and support.
As we consider the future of healthcare in America, we must recognize Medicaid’s vital role in supporting individuals and families across the country. Protecting this essential program means protecting the health, well-being, and dignity of millions of Americans who depend on it every day.
