People With Disabilities Explain How Medicaid Cuts Could Impact Their Lives
Ask students: How would cutting $880 billion from Medicaid affect home and community-based services? Why does President Trump believe that cuts to Medicaid are necessary?
Congress is back in D.C. with plans to move forward on a budget framework that could include cuts to Medicaid. About one in three people with disabilities is enrolled in the program, which helps them access health care and live independently in their communities. Stephanie Sy reports and we hear from people with disabilities and their caretakers about what Medicaid means to them.
View the transcript of this story. News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
Key Term
Medicaid — a government program that provides health insurance for children and adults with limited income and resources and those with certain disabilities. The program was established in 1965, as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society and expanded by President Barack Obama under the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
Discussion Questions
- What are the different ways that cuts to Medicaid would affect the people interviewed in this story?
- How would cutting $880 billion from Medicaid affect home and community-based services?
- Why does President Trump believe that cuts to Medicaid are necessary?
- What has been the result of states implementing a work requirement for Medicaid recipients in the past?
- How does eliminating the Department of Education affect people with disabilities?
Focus Questions
President Trump has repeatedly said that he has no plans to cut Medicaid benefits and that his budget cuts are to get rid of half a trillion dollars of "waste and fraud." However, Alison Barkoff says these proposals will result in big holes in states' Medicaid budgets because there is "nowhere near enough waste" to cover the $880 billion in cuts.
- Why do you think there is a gap between Trump's claims and what Barkoff believes will actually happen?
- What do you think will happen to people with disabilities if they lose access to critical programs funded by Medicaid, like those mentioned at the start of the video?
- Media literacy: Where can you find more information about the history of Medicaid and other social programs in the U.S.?
Extension Activity
Watch the video below to learn about what happens when people lose access to Medicaid coverage.
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Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
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