Despite new amendments proposed by U.S. Senators Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the most recent attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to pose a threat to services for people with developmental disabilities and their families in Ohio and across the nation.
According to financial data compiled and released by the Governor’s Office of Health Transformation and Avalere, a national health consulting firm, the bill:
- Introduces Medicaid block grants that would result in Ohio’s Medicaid program receiving less funding over time for disability-related services;
- Reduces the growth rate of Medicaid spending past 2025 by tying funding to lower inflation rates, resulting in a 15% spending cut for Medicaid disability programs by 2036; and
- Risks touching off a funding struggle at the state level by removing up to $9 billion from the state’s Medicaid funding pool, which could result in more costs being shifted to counties and local taxpayers.
Any proposal that fails to safeguard the long-term financial sustainability of DD services puts the health, safety, and well-being of Ohioans with developmental disabilities at risk. We encourage county boards and advocates to contact U.S. Senator Rob Portman to urge him to oppose to the Graham-Cassidy proposal in its current form.