From DC is Justice in Growing old’s weekly roundup of nationwide information and assets about points impacting older adults. To obtain From DC in your inbox as quickly as its revealed, join our mailing checklist.
Right here’s what we’re watching in Washington:
1,100 Advocacy Organizations Inform the Senate to Reject Cuts to Medicaid
This week, the Incapacity and Growing old Collaborative, the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities, and allied organizations despatched a letter to each U.S. Senator urging them to reject the Home-passed finances reconciliation invoice (H.R. 1) or any laws that cuts Medicaid.
Justice in Growing old joined the letter, together with greater than 1,100 nationwide, state, and native organizations, representing each state and D.C., to indicate we’re united in opposition to the invoice due to the dangerous cuts and adjustments to Medicaid and the Inexpensive Care Act (ACA) that may take protection and advantages away from hundreds of thousands of individuals with disabilities, older adults, and their caregivers.
The Congressional Finances Workplace (CBO) launched new evaluations of the reconciliation invoice’s impression. The invoice itself will end in not less than 10.9 million individuals changing into uninsured – the overwhelming majority (7.8 million individuals) of the newly uninsured may have Medicaid taken away and consists of hundreds of thousands of individuals with disabilities and older adults. When factoring in expiration of the improved ACA premium tax credit, the quantity of people that will grow to be uninsured rises to 16 million.
CBO additionally estimates the invoice will take away Medicare cost-sharing help from greater than 1.3 million seniors and other people with disabilities, leaving them underinsured and financially susceptible. It could additionally strip Medicare protection from many lawfully current older immigrants who’ve lived and labored within the U.S. for many years.
Senate Republicans are persevering with to barter the invoice behind closed doorways. It’s vital that the general public be made conscious of the grave harms to older adults on this invoice and that Congress hear from their constituents.
Keep knowledgeable and study extra about what’s at stake and what advocates can do by visiting Justice in Growing old’s Medicaid protection assets..
Proof Mounts Exhibiting Tax Invoice Would Hurt Older Adults
Along with the CBO’s analysis of the Home-passed finances reconciliation invoice (H.R. 1), new evaluation from Manatt and KFF present state-by-state impacts and protection loss estimates. Analyses from Brookings and TCF present how these cuts are as deep and dangerous as these the Senate rejected in 2017. This RWJF State Well being & Worth Methods useful resource offers a set of state companies’ public evaluation of the invoice. The by way of line is that older adults and other people with disabilities will likely be harmed, regardless of proponents of the invoice claiming to wish to shield them.
A brand new article, Home SNAP Cuts Would Additional Endanger Medicaid For Disabled Folks, Older Adults, explains how H.R. 1 will instantly hurt older adults and disabled individuals by taking away their Medicaid and meals help, and the way the invoice’s shift of Supplemental Vitamin Help Program (SNAP) prices to states will improve the possibility of states slicing optionally available Medicaid providers like home- and community-based providers (HCBS) to fill state finances holes.
Because the authors conclude, “regardless of the rhetoric in any other case, the reconciliation invoice would take away vital helps from among the most susceptible Individuals whereas creating tax breaks for the very rich.”
White Home Releases New Particulars for FY26 Proposed Finances
The Trump Administration lately launched extra particulars about its Fiscal Yr 2026 finances request for Congress. The President’s finances proposes deep cuts for very important providers that enable older adults and other people with disabilities to stay safely at dwelling and of their communities. General, the finances guts and eliminates vital federal applications by $163 billion, a historic quantity, and successfully reduces funding for Social Safety by not maintaining with elevated prices.
The up to date finances proposes to retain funding for the long-term care ombudsman, State Well being Insurance coverage Help Program (SHIP), and different elder justice applications. The Administration plans to proceed sure Administration for Neighborhood Dwelling (ACL) applications underneath a newly named Administration for Youngsters, Households, and Communities.
Whereas the President’s finances displays the Administration’s funding suggestions, Congress should negotiate and approve all funding payments. The present spending invoice for the federal authorities expires later this 12 months on the finish of September.
Within the meantime, Justice in Growing old will proceed to observe the finances state of affairs and inform our community about how and when to take motion.
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