POTENTIAL ACA AND MEDICAID CUTS
The NDNRC wants to make sure that people with disabilities are aware of potential changes to their healthcare as the current administration proposes major funding cuts to federal healthcare programs. The disability community utilizes Medicaid, and the ACA (Affordable Care Act) Marketplace plans at a higher rate than those without disabilities due to their unique needs.
By updating this newsletter with resources and educational pieces on where disability health policies stand, we hope to ensure that the disability community continues to have access to accessible and affordable healthcare coverage no matter what changes occur in the foreseeable future.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released research discussing how the House Republicans’ budget plan would decrease funding for Medicaid and food assistance programs like WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), as noted in another blog from CBPP.
Disability advocates are emphasizing that these cuts would increase costs and hardships for the disability community, potentially leaving millions without health coverage or food support. These essential services and their impacts were discussed in a blog from CBPP.
The current administration plans to cut navigator funding, an important resource for people with disabilities, in finding accessible and affordable healthcare coverage through the Marketplace, by 90%, as noted by a CHIRblog post. This might cause millions to face barriers in finding healthcare coverage and is an effort to weaken the Marketplace.
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released an issue brief on what will happen if Congress does not extend the enhanced premium tax credit, which helps people afford health insurance through the Marketplace, they will have to pay higher costs in 2026.
Open enrollment periods serve as an important time for people with disabilities to sign up for healthcare coverage through the Marketplace and change coverage as needed. The current administration wants to shorten them, as well as fill out more paperwork. The combination of these changes will cause more burdens and decrease accessibility to healthcare coverage, as noted by the CHIRblog.
The KFF covered new rules related to work requirements and Medicaid coverage in an issue brief. Most adult aged Medicaid enrollees, like people with disabilities, have valid reasons for not working full time, like caregiving, other health conditions, or being a student. The complicated and frequent paperwork from work requirements could cause people to fall off coverage, even if they still qualify.
Work requirements related to community health centers were also covered in a Commonwealth Fund blog. Overall, Medicaid work requirements could result in over 5.6 million community health center patients losing coverage.
KFF has a policy watch on Marketplace cost-sharing reductions that help low-income populations in making their health insurance more affordable by decreasing deductibles and co-pays. This piece discusses the impact on the Marketplace’s silver plan. KFF had a column on how the current “Make America Healthy Again” would not make healthcare more affordable and decreasing federal funding to essential healthcare programs like Medicaid and the Marketplace would lead to higher healthcare costs.
KFF will be hosting a webinar on how changes could change the Marketplaces on Wednesday, June 11, at 12 PM ET, with a panel of health policy leaders from two state-based Marketplaces to get different perspectives.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.