1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

Hi, as a Wisconsin nurse and mother of children with disabilities, including one with a complex congenital heart defect, I am writing to strongly urge Senator Johnson to follow Tammy Baldwin‘s example of protecting Medicaid for vulnerable families. Providing dignity and life-saving care for people with disabilities is not waste, fraud, or abuse – it’s simply the right thing to do. I remember that Senator Johnson also has a daughter with a congenital heart defect. I would like to think that he can understand how scary and expensive that can be and why it is so important that our most vulnerable populations have adequate coverage. The qualification process for Medicaid, as I can attest, is already very rigorous. Very little fraud or waste has ever been found. Making the application process more onerous or imposing. Additional work requirements and limiting exemptions for being primary caregivers hurts family such as my own. This administration has centered the idea that they want to make Americans, especially children, “healthy again.” Stripping away healthcare and home and community based services is the absolute antithesis of this. My children are now becoming teenagers and many of the resources I am just beginning to learn about that could have supported them in their transition to living lives as independent and productive and fulfilling as possible, are being eliminated with little notice due to the draconian funding cuts already being imposed by this administration. Many friends, who have children with disabilities also have careers in this space, and some have already been affected by layoffs, another devastating blow. This will only have terrible ripple down effects on the health of our society as a whole.