My Lived Experience and the Importance of Protecting Medicaid
In early February, I lost my job. I went from having financial security and incredible health insurance to being thrown into the unknown. Thankfully, Medicaid was there to ease some of the uncertainties.
After my COBRA coverage expired, I switched over to Medicaid, and felt a huge weight off of my shoulders. I felt safe knowing that if any unexpected medical issues came up for me, I would still be able to receive care and treatment at a cost that’s affordable for me. While I have faced issues on Medicaid, such as not being able to see my same specialists and providers because they don’t accept my insurance, I’m incredibly grateful to even have access to health insurance during this precarious time in my life.
Medicaid has been a huge safety net for me and the millions of disabled, low income Americans who are on it. And yet, we are living in a time where attacks against Medicaid are running rampant, despite the need for stronger protections and additional funding now more than ever.
According to government data, over 70 million Americans are on Medicaid as of May 2025. In July, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping budget into law that would result in $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid over the next 10 years and leave millions without health coverage. The bill is expected to change a lot for Americans, including a change in eligibility requiring those age 15 and older to have to work at least 80 hours a month to qualify for Medicaid, as well as another shifting re-enrollment from once a year to every six months, BBC reported.
As someone who is still job hunting, the thought of potentially losing my medical insurance because I don’t meet the work requirements is stressful. I also fear the idea of losing autonomy if I were unable to be on Medicaid. Access to basic and affordable healthcare is a human right, but the government is set on making it difficult for those who need it the most.
The consequences of these Medicaid cuts will be dire. The Congressional Budget Office found that nearly 12 million Americans are expected to lose their medical coverage as a result of these changes. This will result in higher costs for states and hospitals, and uncompensated cost of care will rise as patients are unable to pay their medical bills, Boston University public health experts say.
Provisions within the Big Beautiful Bill would also restrict states’ ability to raise revenue to fund their Medicaid programs, causing them to have to reevaluate their budgets to either supplement the spending or cut services, according to the Center for American Progress. A decrease in federal funding for Medicaid could also result in the elimination of benefits such as home and community based services.
“It is nearly impossible to carve out a specific population, such as disabled people or elderly people, because the cuts to Medicaid funding will affect everyone due to hospital closures and health care workforce layoffs,” the Center for American Progress and The Arc wrote in an article.
Instead of chipping away at the ability for Americans to access Medicaid, we should be putting more funds towards it so that vital benefits aren’t on the chopping block. But this can’t be done by just one person, or even the disability community alone. This is an all hands on deck situation.
At any point, you can become disabled or lose your job and need to be on Medicaid. Everyone should be doing their part to ensure that anyone who needs health insurance can access it with the least amount of barriers, especially when the government is doing everything in its power to stand in the way of universal healthcare.
About the Author
Shruti Rajkumar is a freelance reporter covering disability and social justice. Previously, they were a reporter at HuffPost covering breaking news, politics, race and disability. Two weeks prior to the publication of this article, Shruti started a new part-time job as the Communications and Development Coordinator for the Disability EmpowHer Network.