Watching the Chainsaw Come For Me

Cuts to Medicaid and Disability Independence

by Cassandra Brandt

Cuts to Medicaid and Disability Independence- Image of Cassandra - she is sitting in a hot pink wheelchair. She has shoulder length blonde hair with stripes of pink in it, a green shirt, and jeans.

I didn’t have anything to worry about with the threat of cuts to medicaid and my independence, they said. My need is legitimate. My disability is severe.  I’m a C3-4 quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down. I rely on the social safety nets in place: Social Security Disability checks pay my bills and Medicaid and Medicare pick up my hefty healthcare tabs, frequent cab rides to appointments, and caregiver services that allow me to live independently. If these services are cut, so is my autonomy; I’ll be back in an understaffed institution.

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How The One Big, Beautiful Bill Impacts the Disability Community

By Tracy Waller, MPH, Esq.

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) into law, after it narrowly passed both chambers of Congress. While most presidents bring changes that can be controversial, President Trump’s signing of the OBBB led to a major economic overhaul that will have long-term effects on the disability community. Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate to send the bill to the House of Representatives to be voted on. On July 3, 2025, the bill narrowly passed through the House with a vote of 218-214 and was signed into law on July 4, 2025.

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