About a year ago, I learned that my daughter was about to lose most of her coverage from California’s version of Medicaid, which pays for her care. “Uh-oh,” I breathed, looking up from the letter to lock eyes with her caregiver, who was spooning chili into Millie’s mouth. Henceforth, Millie would be assessed a share of cost—a sum equivalent to an insurance deductible of $21,000 per year.
Thankfully, a kindly supervisor from the county health department offered a solution. If Millie joined the Working Disabled Program, she’d be exempt from these charges. Millie, who is 24, doesn’t walk independently.
She has a sly sense of humor, but she doesn’t speak or sign. She makes beautiful abstract paintings if you guide her hand to the colors and make sure her fingers stroke the paper, not the table or her face. All I had to do was find her a job.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Last month, the Trump Administration took a sledgehammer to federal funding. Though his order was blocked by a federal judge, I was shaken, just like all the other people in my community with disabled loved ones. But this wasn’t our first rodeo.
In 2023, states dropped over 25 million Americans from Medicaid. Around the same time, House Republicans tried to push through legislation that would allow states to add work requirements to the program. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise explained his reasoning: “That single mom that’s working two or three jobs right now to make ends meet und.
