Since the passage of the terrible GOP tax-and-gutting-of-the-social-safety-net bill, a few people have asked how it will affect me. My short answer is that it’s too soon to tell. Many of the cuts to Medicaid don’t kick in until a year or two from now. While it’s true that the bill does not specifically target services for people with disabilities, the Times writes that plenty of families and advocates worry service reductions could still occur due to the sheer magnitude of the cuts to Medicaid (which amount to nearly a trillion dollars). As I’ve noted before, states are going to be hard-pressed to keep hospitals sufficiently funded to keep them open and they could be forced reduce other services in order to balance budgets. State legislators will soon face some really difficult decisions.
I personally worry about a scenario where payments to direct care workers will be reduced. I have friends who still struggle to find enough workers to care for them and a pay cut will only make matters worse. My own situation is a little less dire, but I could still be affected by any austerity measures that are forced on Minnesota. The uncertainty of it all is a nagging presence in the back of my mind, but I try not to give it much attention. If the Democrats can win some seats in the midterms, they might be able to roll back at least some of the cuts. But then again, putting the words “Democrats” and “win” seems vaguely absurd, like pouring chocolate syrup on a bowl of cottage cheese.