6/11/26 - Medicaid cuts, home care cuts, and an LGBTQ+ webinar

Good afternoon!

Today is my birthday. So, I'm preparing this edition of Disability Thinking Weekday a day ahead. It's also a good day to remind you all that ...

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Trump’s Incredibly Misleading, Downright Outrageous Case for Medicaid Cuts

Jonathan Cohn, The Bulwark - June 9, 2026
Source: Paid subscriber Tina Argetsinger

"The politicians who have made this case over the years may believe this out of sincere conviction, sincere convenience, or some combination of the two.²But when it comes to Medicaid specifically, this argument does not line up with the most relevant and recent piece of real-world experience. That was in Arkansas, which back in 2018 got enthusiastic permission from Trump’s first administration to impose a work requirement on some of its beneficiaries ... Some 18,000 low-income Arkansans ultimately lost their coverage before a federal judge halted the program, because it appeared to be causing people to delay necessary care or run up more medical debt.³ Later research cameto the same conclusion, just as it found no positive effects on employment. The main reason? Roughly three-quarters of the people who lost their coverage were either already working or qualified to be exempt from the work requirement, either because of a disability, caregiving responsibility, or some other factor that made working difficult."

I have pasted an unusually long quote from this article, because the second half of the piece is paywalled. You need to be a paid subscriber to The Bulwark to read the whole thing. I was able to read all of it because Tina sent me a gift link. But it looks like gift links can't be fully shared second hand. Regardless, it's worth noting a few things about this piece on the upcoming work requirements for Medicaid that will be imposed on most US states very soon.

• "Work requirements" for "benefits" tend to poll well with the general public because they can seem fair. If you're going to get help from the government, you should do something to give back and at least try to work your way out of needing help. Or, so the reasoning goes.
• Unfortunately, work requirements, particularly for medical assistance like Medicaid, just doesn't work. Few people get jobs, and lots of them just end up losing their Medicaid, even if they try to comply.
• This includes people who are supposed to be exempt, like many people with disabilities. We shouldn't be comforted by arguments that work requirements aren't aimed at "really" disabled people.
• The Bulwark is a politically interesting publication. It is produced mostly by former Republicans, and a few Democrats, of a more centrist bent, who absolutely loathe Trump and Trumpism. That's not a negative of course. But it clearly places the publication in the partisan, editorial camp – though maybe in a less familiar "anti-Trump conservative" area of it. As Tina suggested in her email to me, it's good to see this particular publication spend time on Medicaid cuts.
• The article itself doesn't focus all that much on disabled people, but rather on the poor scholarship, incompetence, and dishonesty of the reports being issued to justify work requirements.

All that said, this is an important, informative, and frightening article. Read it if you can.

Disability rights advocates protest Newsom’s proposed cuts to in-home support services

Katie King, Los Angeles Times - June 8, 2026

"The In-Home Supportive Services program helps disabled and elderly people remain in their houses by providing in-home care. It pays assistants to help with tasks such as showering, cooking or attending doctor appointments. Newsom’s revised budget proposal, which was unveiled last month, would cut $367.7 million from the program and shift some of that financial burden onto counties."

Republicans aren't the only US politicians that target disability services for cuts when budgets get tight, or when they want to make a show of being tough and frugal. Kathy Hochul, the Democratic governor of my state of New York has for years made it a priority to cut back on home care services that enable people with disabilities to live at home and avoid institutional care facilities. And it looks like California's Democratic governor is getting in on the act, too. As federal Medicaid cuts take effect, this is probably going to happen a lot, including in some Democratic states where one might expect a more informed and liberating attitude towards disability support services.

LGBTQ+ Resources Webinar

Autistic Self Advocacy Network - June 9, 2026

"There are many ways to identify. Everyone is different and that’s good! Maybe you are LGBTQ+ and want to learn more about the community, or maybe you are looking for ways to be an ally. LGBTQ+ people deserve to be treated with respect, just like everyone else! Join us on June 23 from 4-5:30pm ET for this month’s webinar all about resources for LGBTQ+ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."

It's Pride Month. And this looks like a useful way for people with disabilities to observe and participate in it. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network's work is always high quality, so this webinar is very likely worth our time.

Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. You can help promote Disability Thinking Weekday by forwarding it by email or posting on your social media. You can also comment by sending me an email at: apulrang@icloud.com. Collected comments are shared on the first of each month. A free subscription sends a newsletter to your email each weekday. Benefits of paid subscription include:

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