For Immediate Release: May 12, 2025
Contact: Jess Davidson at jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-465-5528
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) condemns the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s budget reconciliation proposal in the strongest possible terms. This cruel and sweeping plan dismantles vital Medicaid protections, endangers millions of lives, and introduces alarming provisions that undermine the rights and well-being of disabled Americans.
Among the most grievous measures in this proposal are devastating Medicaid provisions that would cut at least 13.7 million Americans off of health coverage, rolling back 15 years of progress towards healthcare coverage for all Americans. The proposal cuts $715 billion from the healthcare system, by imposing barriers like mandatory work requirements for Medicaid recipients aged 18-64, eligibility redeterminations every six months for Medicaid Expansion enrollees, and increasing healthcare costs for adults covered by Medicaid Expansion.
It also restricts federal funding for other critical healthcare infrastructure across this nation. Medicaid work requirements do not encourage greater employment. They penalize people for being out of work. Redeterminations do not reduce any kind of fraud or abuse of the system. Instead they increase administrative burdens for individuals and for states that are already facing budget shortfalls.
AAPD President and CEO Maria Town stated, “The proposed Medicaid cuts will dismantle a lifeline that supports disabled individuals’ access to critical healthcare services, assistive technologies, and long-term care. Without Medicaid, countless disabled people will lose their independence, their dignity, and far too often, their lives. Hospitals will close, community living infrastructure will deteriorate, premiums will skyrocket, and families will be forced into crisis.”
Town continued, “Some are trying to paint this so-called plan as some sort of middle ground. There is nothing reasonable or middle ground about ending access to care for millions of people, cutting payments to providers, and shifting costs to states.”
Newly revealed provisions in the bill also include Subsection (c), which prohibits state or local governments from enforcing any laws or regulations concerning artificial intelligence (AI) models, systems, or automated decision-making systems for a 10-year period following the Act’s passage. AAPD is deeply concerned about the risks this poses to disabled people . Automated decision-making systems frequently exhibit systemic biases against marginalized communities. Automated decision systems and other AI tools have been shown to cut people with disabilities off of vital public benefits and preempting regulation for a decade will allow unchecked harm to proliferate.
AAPD strongly condemns the inclusion of a 10-year moratorium on Biden-era long-term care facility staffing rules. Ideally, nursing homes and other institutionalized settings should not exist in the first place, and all disabled people should be able to live independently within their homes and communities. However, as long as these facilities remain a reality, proper staffing and fair compensation for care workers are essential to ensure safety, dignity, and high-quality care. Disabled people both provide and receive care, and improving the care economy is vital to fostering independence and inclusion. Blocking these staffing reforms undermines the humanity of residents and workers, prioritizing profits over lives.
AAPD is urging Congress to protect Medicaid and reject this misguided and cruel budget bill that slashes healthcare benefits. The harsh and undeniable reality is that lives are at stake. Millions of disabled people will lose Medicaid. Disabled people will die.
The timing of this proposal, in the wake of last week’s 24-hour Medicaid Vigil, underscores the urgency of the fight ahead. Advocates gathered at this event to honor Medicaid’s life-saving impact and to rally for its protection. We can continue this momentum by contacting your Representatives and Senators today and telling them that any cuts to Medicaid are unacceptable!