Cuts to Medicaid and Disability Independence
by Cassandra Brandt
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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