3/3/25 - Medicaid cuts, the "R-word," and international disability news
Is Trump lying about cutting Medicaid — or is Congress?
Patrick Reis, Vox.com - February 26, 2025
"Republicans have been reluctant to propose structural changes to Medicaid, as it’s unpopular to take away health insurance from people who need it — particularly while cutting taxes for the wealthy. Instead, Trump and other top GOP officials have pledged to root out “fraud.” That’s more politically palatable, but the math doesn’t work. There’s simply not enough fraud in the system to get anywhere near the scope of savings Republicans are looking for."
There's a thin ray of hope in this piece, which at the rate things are happening in Washington, DC lately may be out of date already. Still, it does actually seem like there's a decent chance that Medicaid won't be decimated anytime soon. But it also seems like we're going to have to be very vigilant for any talk about "fraud" in Medicaid. As this piece points out, there isn't much fraud or waste in Medicaid – certainly not nearly enough to make the program significantly less expensive, which is what Republicans want. What should perhaps worry disabled people is that Trump administration people and their supporters seem to have a very broad definition of "fraud." It seems like to them, "fraud" includes much more than intentional stealing or rule-breaking. They seem to count any spending they disapprove of as "fraud" too. So if, for example, one of Elon Musk's minions "discovers" that some disabled people continue to receive Medicaid even though they've gotten full-time jobs, will they consider that "fraud," even if it's all within Medicaid regulations? What if they think it's "fraud" for Medicaid to pay for anything that isn't doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, or medications? What if they think that Medicaid money that funds home care in consumer-directed programs – where you can hire a relative, friend, neighbor, or freelance aide to help you with daily chores – looks like "fraud?" Even if they don't actually try to restructure or cut Medicaid again, these are some of the things we need to watch out for, I think.
Note: I switched to a Medicaid action alert from a different organization in the links below – from Caring Across Generations to the National Disability Rights Network. There was nothing wrong with the first one. I just wanted to recognize the fact that on an issue like this, many disability organizations have active action alerts going.
Elon Musk keeps tweeting the 'R-word.' Disability advocates say he needs to stop.
David Oliver, USA Today - February 25, 2025
"Musk – who boasts nearly 220 million followers on X, the social media platform he owns – has repeatedly used the "R" word to describe people with whom he disagrees. In the last week alone, he's included it in at least three tweets. The use of this language has sparked criticism from people with disabilities and their advocates, who were beginning to see a world where such terms were deemed unacceptable."
How important is it to discourage and suppress, or allow and weirdly embrace use of the most crudely offensive disability slurs, like the "R-word?" Is it a superficial issue, or deeply important? Are we showing our strength and resolve when we as disabled people object? Or, are we mainly displaying exactly the sort of weakness that people who enjoy using the "R-word" despise most? Or, are both of these things true at once? Maybe this is one of those disability issues where our instinctive, visceral response is called for – without thinking too hard about strategy or how our pushback might be interpreted. Re-validating language like this, especially from people who want to be influential leaders, is, a. offensive, b. hurtful, c. the opposite of professional or classy, and d. completely unnecessary from any political or ideological standpoint. I can't help thinking that right-wing populists' apparent affection for this garbage is an achilles heel – a weakness they may not be able to control themselves.
We have a right to be angry
Peter Torres Fremlin, Disability Debrief - February 26, 2025
"We start in France on the 20th anniversary of their disability law, and Ukraine on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion ... Then we go to the US mess and how disabled people are caught in the multiple areas Trump and Musk are breaking things, with updates domestically and internationally ... Leaving the US as fast as I can, I welcome some governance changes at the International Disability Alliance, and see some wins for disability rights in Tanzania and Japan ... All this and more - enjoy the world tour!"
It's important for Americans in particular to not lose sight of disability issues and disabled lives around the world right now. Reading Disability Debrief is always a good way to stay in touch.
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