To the editor:

I am deeply concerned about potential cuts to the Medicaid program that could significantly impact Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for people with disabilities(PWD). Medicaid is more than a health insurance program; it is a lifeline for millions of Minnesotans with disabilities who need ongoing care. HCBS provides personal care assistance, home health aides, therapeutic and other supports essential services to ensure people with disabilities can live with dignity in their own homes and communities. These services promote independent living and prevent unnecessary institutionalization.

Cuts to these HCBS programs could force those living in group homes in all 87 Minnesota counties into more expensive and isolating settings, like an out-of-home placement, or even a hospital. I urge our legislators to stand up for those most in need and reject any proposals that would cut Medicaid funding or diminish access to critical services. We must prioritize and protect Medicaid funding to ensure that Minnesotans with disabilities and others who depend on these vital services can continue to live independently and thrive in our communities. Cuts to Medicaid means denying how many millions of Americans access desperately-needed supports and the right to live with dignity. Such cuts cannot make America great again-they would only make our nation cruel. Hubert H. Humphrey said,”The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly, and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.”

Please contact House of Representative Brad Finstad to ask him to stop cuts to Medicaid. Call Brad’s office: 202-225-2472.

Tim Schroeder

New Ulm