The U.S. Congress is discussing a budget proposal that will mean steep cuts to Medicaid, a program that supports people from birth to retirement and beyond.
Last week, House Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution that directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to find $880 billion in “savings”; in reality, those savings are just cuts to the vital services provided to Americans in all walks of life.
Medicaid is not waste. It is essential to keeping hospitals open and supporting students at school. Cutting Medicaid will hurt individual patients and entire communities.
The Impact on K-12 Schools
Medicaid provides the fourth largest amount of federal funding to K-12 schools, helping to ensure that students with special education needs can fulfill their potential, while also supporting the salaries of school-based staff like mental health professionals and school nurses.
Since 1988, Medicaid dollars in schools have supported:
- Equipment, including wheelchairs, lifts and therapeutic bicycles
- High-quality physical and mental health services like targeted case management, health education, cognitive behavioral therapy, catheterization, audiology, and physical therapy
- Medical transportation for select students with individual education programs
- Program administration, which can include helping eligible families enroll and even translations for diverse populations
- Salaries for health professionals, including speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and school nurses
We are all too familiar with how tight most of Texas school districts’ budgets are. If this vital funding is cut, there can be no doubt that students and families will not receive the services and support they need.
To see just how badly these funding cuts would affect your community, use this online tool from the Center for American Progress to look up your U.S. congressional district.
Take Action: Tell Congress – Hands Off Medicaid
The passage of the House resolution sets up the next leg of the fight to protect Medicaid, as the Senate passed its own budget resolution this month with different spending cuts and service disruptions. The two chambers will have to pass a reconciliation bill, and that means there is still time to make your voice heard.
Use this e-action from AFT to contact your representative today.