One thing that could happen is the Republican dream of block granting Medicaid. A state would get so much money and that’s it. Even if the needs increase, the block grant stays the same.
If it isn’t enough to serve everyone they had been serving, cut, cut, snip, snip. An easy target it seems to me would be autistics with average to above average IQs. As I understand it, this population is not universally served, Massachusetts doesn’t. I would guess the logic would be, Eh, you went to college, how disabled can you be? (Which we know isn’t true.)
The current system of giving Medicaid money to agencies and not individuals is a pain. If you have a good provider, say an SLP who runs an adult social group, and they don’t want to do the paperwork to become a Medicaid provider, well, that’s put-of-pocket for you.
The purpose of this requirement is to function as a financial control, to prevent recipients from being able to embezzle. Embezzling is only for the Rick Scotts of the world, not us.
Medicaid is a block grant to the states right now. Nobody is discussing having the money go directly to parents. A block grant can go to another governmental body, not individuals.
They might very well cut out autistic with average IQs. My kid would lose out, even though the unemployment rate of that population is 85 percent. However, right now, too many parents don't have the bandwidth to fill out three years of paperwork. Folks who really, really need those funds aren't getting them.
I think we have to fight to improve the system. The status quo isn't working. It's actually a fucking nightmare. Of course, we don't want cuts. I'm fighting to make the system work better for more people.
Everywhere I look: chaos. I hope you get spared, and also: woohoo! I missed that you set up a business! An inspiration, as always. Congrats and good luck!
Just to clarify. This is NOT an optimistic post. The post was about describing the dread seeping through the disability and education communities right now. I have no insights about what Trump will do and won't do. I do know parents. And they are miserable.
The article is fine but it’s really infuriating to see the focus be ENTIRELY on children who have PARENTS who can care for them to some extent if DOGE comes for disabled people. Disabled adults with no living family or no family that cares about them (a lot of disabled adults have been kicked out by their families and shoved into IDD services) are arguably more at risk because they have no other support system than the government. The people I work with and care for every day have their lives at risk because of this but apparently this woman could give a rats ass about them because they not cute little kids.
Amongst my long list of fears this is amongst them. We had encouraged our level 1, 30 year old son to study biology. He found mentorship at a small private college and was able to excell. He got experience at the NIH and then at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the years out of college and then he tried graduate school. The first PhD program found him to be excentric and he still was unable to find a lab after 4 rotations. He came home, interviewed, reapplied and was accepted to a second graduate school program but once again there wasn't support at this educational level for my neurologically diverse learner. He'd hoped to return to a government science job. HA! His colleagues at his former graduate school are waiting for the end of their funding. Turns out science wasn't the sure bet we'd hoped it would be. Now he lives, again, at home. I am thankful that he's gotten as much education as he has. I worry about his employment possibilities with a war on DEI. I worry about his social and emotional health. AND beyond this I wonder how I, a former teacher and mother well versed in the needs of neurodiverse children, can be of help in my community.
Democrats screaming, crying, and whining the most about DOGE need to be investigated first because when all the crooks are mad, you know something is going right. https://tinyurl.com/tnvy436u
Republicans absolutely are coming for disabled kids. It's part of the agenda, even if they're staying quiet for the moment. Expect it. https://bsky.app/profile/piperformissouri.bsky.social/post/3li2vw3iifc22
One thing that could happen is the Republican dream of block granting Medicaid. A state would get so much money and that’s it. Even if the needs increase, the block grant stays the same.
If it isn’t enough to serve everyone they had been serving, cut, cut, snip, snip. An easy target it seems to me would be autistics with average to above average IQs. As I understand it, this population is not universally served, Massachusetts doesn’t. I would guess the logic would be, Eh, you went to college, how disabled can you be? (Which we know isn’t true.)
The current system of giving Medicaid money to agencies and not individuals is a pain. If you have a good provider, say an SLP who runs an adult social group, and they don’t want to do the paperwork to become a Medicaid provider, well, that’s put-of-pocket for you.
The purpose of this requirement is to function as a financial control, to prevent recipients from being able to embezzle. Embezzling is only for the Rick Scotts of the world, not us.
Medicaid is a block grant to the states right now. Nobody is discussing having the money go directly to parents. A block grant can go to another governmental body, not individuals.
They might very well cut out autistic with average IQs. My kid would lose out, even though the unemployment rate of that population is 85 percent. However, right now, too many parents don't have the bandwidth to fill out three years of paperwork. Folks who really, really need those funds aren't getting them.
I think we have to fight to improve the system. The status quo isn't working. It's actually a fucking nightmare. Of course, we don't want cuts. I'm fighting to make the system work better for more people.
Everywhere I look: chaos. I hope you get spared, and also: woohoo! I missed that you set up a business! An inspiration, as always. Congrats and good luck!
Thank you!
Good one, Laura. I'm glad that you took the time to share your perspective.
Just to clarify. This is NOT an optimistic post. The post was about describing the dread seeping through the disability and education communities right now. I have no insights about what Trump will do and won't do. I do know parents. And they are miserable.
The article is fine but it’s really infuriating to see the focus be ENTIRELY on children who have PARENTS who can care for them to some extent if DOGE comes for disabled people. Disabled adults with no living family or no family that cares about them (a lot of disabled adults have been kicked out by their families and shoved into IDD services) are arguably more at risk because they have no other support system than the government. The people I work with and care for every day have their lives at risk because of this but apparently this woman could give a rats ass about them because they not cute little kids.
Amongst my long list of fears this is amongst them. We had encouraged our level 1, 30 year old son to study biology. He found mentorship at a small private college and was able to excell. He got experience at the NIH and then at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the years out of college and then he tried graduate school. The first PhD program found him to be excentric and he still was unable to find a lab after 4 rotations. He came home, interviewed, reapplied and was accepted to a second graduate school program but once again there wasn't support at this educational level for my neurologically diverse learner. He'd hoped to return to a government science job. HA! His colleagues at his former graduate school are waiting for the end of their funding. Turns out science wasn't the sure bet we'd hoped it would be. Now he lives, again, at home. I am thankful that he's gotten as much education as he has. I worry about his employment possibilities with a war on DEI. I worry about his social and emotional health. AND beyond this I wonder how I, a former teacher and mother well versed in the needs of neurodiverse children, can be of help in my community.
Democrats screaming, crying, and whining the most about DOGE need to be investigated first because when all the crooks are mad, you know something is going right. https://tinyurl.com/tnvy436u