My daughter Claire likes ice cream sunflowers, trips to theme parks and watching Gossip Girl with her little sister, lying on the couch. Neither of them should be extraordinary. However, since Claire is disabled and has complex medical needs, including asthma, epilepsy, autism and heart, lungs and cognitive problems, its years living happily and mostly healthy have never been promised at home.
Not long ago, children like Claire would have grown up with cold, sterile institutions, not at home with their families. This is because most private insurance plans, including Claire’s, do not include many medical costs and support disabled people, including children, survive, attend school, live at home and be an active part of their communities.
Claire and many other disabled children across the country could grow up at home with their families, where they are desired and loved, only because of access to Medicaid and many other disabled children. Medicaid helped to pay for the bed, which Claire needs to sleep safely at home, a wheelchair she uses for travel to the park, and the hearing aid she uses to hear what others say.
Claire is non -verbal and Medicaid has paid for the auxiliary communication device that it uses to tell us, easier what is in her head. Medicaid paid for a chair that Claire uses to keep vertical when eating, and belts that keep their car now that it is growing in a traditional car seat. Without Medicaid, Claire would not be able to use a lot of work, physical, language, audiology and behavioral therapy to allow her to attend school and become as independent, even if it looks a little different than most people. Medicaid has allowed her to face many obstacles to health intimidation and accessibility and dignity.
Claire, the real Wonder Woman posing in front of his home. Jamie Davis Smith’s consent
Most importantly, Medicaid pays for home nursing and personal care support that Claire needs to dress, swim, eat, manage her medication and ensure that it does not fall or hurt or wander. It is only because of this support that her father and I can work, make family dishes, wash their laundry and visit their younger siblings and sisters’ football games and school games. Without Medicaid, this type of home care would be unavailable for our family.
Despite evidence that the type of home care Claire saves money and has better results, Republicans try to eliminate funding for rescue, life supervised-that itself Claire and others, such as her need to stay healthy and home where they belong.
In the clearest sign that Republicans know what they are doing, not only is it wrong but also shameful, they waited until late in the night to spend the devastating text of Trump’s devastating “Great, Beautiful Bill,” which will hurt Medicaid, hoping to go unnoticed. Then, continuing the desire to avoid attention, the GOP invited a meeting with the cover of darkness to discuss the bill, the funding of which is likely to take Medicaid from my daughter and millions of other disabled people who rely on the essential program. Despite the difficulty of the millions of Americans a late evening meeting, at least one GOP congressman slept during a part of a discussion that seemed to have failed to have fatal consequences for voters in his area and beyond, including my daughter.
Millions of other Americans who receive health insurance through Medicare and the Law on Affordable Supervision may also lose access to health care under this bill. It is fully stated that the non -partial Congress Budget Service estimated that if the “big, beautiful account” would lose 14 million Americans lost their health insurance. Among them are the most vulnerable members of our society: chronically ill, elderly and disabled people. Without enough Medicaid funding, hospitals throughout the country, especially in rural areas, will be forced to close the door.
In addition, Republicans do not even delve into any of these reductions – these deaths, these life crashes – will reduce the deficit. After meaningful rhetoric, their goal is clear – they destroy lives to reduce tax reduction for the very rich. Not surprisingly, they decide to do such a business in the shadows, away from the public eye, but that does not mean that it does not happen, and it supports worried moms like me at night. This does not mean that the disastrous impact of the bill will remain unnoticed.
Claire treated the sprayer treatment asthma administered by her father. Jamie Davis Smith’s consent
Democrats, depending on the day, share families like mine. It is a sharp contrast with secret, late evening maneuvers emerging from the other side of the passage. A few weeks ago, my family joined the new Jersey Senate Cory Booker and home minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY) on Capitol steps to discuss what Medicaid reduces Claire and other disabled children. In sunrise, from dawn to dusk, they listened to stories of families depending on Medicaid. The seniors Booker took my daughter’s hand, allowed her to “succeed” and broadcast to the world why he fought for Claire because she deserves the future. This is how politicians and decent people behave when they actually behave because of their beliefs, without demanding to curse and hide, hoping that no one pays attention to the late evening, closed door.
Disability activists such as Elena Hung, my dear friend and founder of the little lobbyists, spent the night in the Capitol in the dark and rain, telling their story to everyone who will listen. Hung has just returned to his home near Washington, DC, who spent several days at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, where her daughter Xiomara was treated for complications associated with kidney transplantation she performed last year thanks to Medicaid. Katherine Clark, a member of the Democratic Congress (Masachusetts), dared to rain outdoors to meet in Hungin, to “shine” what Republicans are trying to hide in the shadows.
Booker, Jeffries and Clark promised to return the stories of Claire, Xiomara and other disabled children to their Republican colleagues. However, that was not enough. Again in the middle of the night, the home Republicans met while most Americans slept. This time to vote on a bill that would change my daughter’s life. While most of the GOP members were hoping that their voices would be unnoticed by their voters, Elena and I, along with other disabled children who rely on Medicaid, sent textual texts all night, observing how the so -called “family values” party could be so cruel. How can they say that they want to encourage families to have more children at the same time as they used their power, voices, to remove the safety network to ensure that these children will be maintained if they need help?
Claire, holding a sign that requires congress to preserve its access to Medicaid. Jamie Davis Smith’s consent
Claire and 14 million other Americans who lose access to rescue care and support that keep them at home need only four Republican senators to stand up and say that it is enough that they do not want to sacrifice American lives for tax reduction in daylight to recognize that this bill does nothing to “waste and fraud”. We hope they are there ready to behave right.
Jamie Davis Smith is a writer, lawyer and four mother living in Washington, DC follows her on Instagram.
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