Alison Barkoff

Thread: Latest House GOP reconciliation bill language again makes the draconian #Medicaid cuts harsher. For example, mandatory work requirements now will take effect 12/31/26 instead of 1/1/29 and states have option to implement them earlier (1/x)

Taking them at their word, they want to take #Medicaid from low-income older women most of whom left the workforce to provide caregiving. #ProtectMedicaid

Proud to be part of this effort to protect the Affordable Care Act’s critical preventative health provisions. Thanks to my colleagues at GW Milken Institute School of Public Health for leading this.

BREAKING — States attorneys general lead by @newyorkstateag.bsky.social were just granted a preliminary injunction in their case against DOGE. The team cannot access Treasury Department payment systems or data while the lawsuit proceeds. Major.

🚨BREAKING: Federal Court GRANTS sweeping nationwide injunction against Trump DEI executive orders finding that they violate First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution. A huge victory for @democracyforward.org and its clients. A stinging loss for Trump.

Visit www.democracydocket.com for details.

Check out my new Health Affairs article with colleague Sara Rosenbaum.
TL:dr—Big cuts to Medicaid hurt everyone, period. Despite representations from Congress otherwise, there is no way to spare people with disabilities, older adults or caregivers. #Medicaid #Disability #Aging #Caregiving

Key quote (IMO)..."Despite promises from members of Congress otherwise, there simply is no way to “carve out” people with disabilities, older adults and their caregivers from the impact of these proposals." Thank you for this warning/primer/call to action.

What Lies Ahead For Medicaid In Budget Reconciliation? | Health Affairs Forefront Should Congress pursue a wide range of possible budget-cutting strategies during the budget reconciliation process, all Medicaid populations, from the youngest infants to the most vulnerable older adu...

Read our new Health Affairs article to learn more about what lies ahead for Medicaid in the budget reconciliation process. TL:dr — big cuts to #Medicaid hurt everyone!

www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Disability Community Briefing: What You Can Do to Stop the Attack on Section 504. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the... In September 2024, a group of 17 states filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government called Texas v. Becerra. The lawsuit asks the court to get rid of Section 504 and its regulations. Section 504 is a ...

Register for the zoom link here: dredf-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join us on Weds 2/12 at 12:30 ET for a briefing on the lawsuit challenging the critical disability rights law, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and new regs. I and other lawyers from @dredf.bsky.social and CPR will explain what’s at stake and how you can help. #Disability #CivilRights #504

Sam - a former HHS General Counsel - lays out key statutory and regulatory problems with the Trump admin’s latest effort to harm US medical research and scientific innovation (by dramatically reducing NIH indirect payments).

Really important data from @kff.org showing how critical #Medicaid is for disabled people (w/ state data for advocates) and that expansion states spend more (not less as the myth does) on traditional Medicaid populations. #SaveMedicaid

'Kick in the teeth': Disabled federal workers fear for their jobs after Trump remarks Trump's remarks about disabled workers and recent White House moves have alarmed federal employees with disabilities who fear for their jobs.

In my experience as the head of a federal agency, disabled employees were not only qualified for their jobs (as disability laws require!!) but some of the agency’s best employees. #Disability #Employment

www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

This is yet another attack on #reproductiverights, especially for low-income families. #Medicaid

The Supreme Court Puts Access To Medicaid Family Planning Care On The Line | Health Affairs https://buff.ly/3WP6lBx CC: @abarkoff.bsky.social @gwpublichealth.bsky.social

A Look at Federal Health Data Taken Offline | KFF This post looks at federal government databases with key health data that went offline on Jan. 31, 2025, including several related to HIV, some of which had returned by Feb. 2, 2025. It briefly descri...

NEW: several federal datasets and health surveys came offline on Friday

We @kff.org explain what these data are & how they’re used in interventions to address our nation’s biggest health challenges
@jenkatesdc.bsky.social @mattrae.bsky.social @lindseydawson.bsky.social

www.kff.org/policy-watch...

And all actual evidence to date is that the likely cause of the crash is due to understaffing. Talking about disability is baseless and a complete red herring.

Disability advocates fear backlash, discrimination after Trump’s FAA comments Veterans’ groups and advocates for those with disabilities have issued scathing criticisms of the president’s baseless comments about the reasons behind the fatal plane crash last week.

Thank you to @washingtonpost.com for the opportunity to be clear that disability laws address discrimination and barriers to employment for disabled people (of which there are so many); unqualified people are not being hired because disability laws. #Disability #Employment

wapo.st/3PYbovR

Why Write About the Illegality of What Trump and Musk are Doing?

My latest newsletter post here:

buttondown.com/sbagen/archi...

Control tower at National Airport understaffed before deadly collision Two of Reagan National Airport’s air traffic controllers were doing double duty Wednesday night, according to a government report.

And now that actual facts are coming out: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

People with intellectual disabilities do lots of jobs–but they don't direct air traffic After the fatal crash over the Potomac River, the President says diversity hiring has made the skies unsafe, but that's not how disability hiring works

We’ve worked too hard to fight disability stereotypes and bias in employment to let baseless claims undermine our work. #Disability

www.npr.org/2025/01/30/n...

#ACA Open Enrollment: Some states still have time for Feb. coverage! Here's 15 important things to remember. The 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period (OEP) officially begins on November 1st. This is the best OEP ever for the ACA for several reasons: The expanded/enhanced premium subsidies first introduced in 2021...

📣 REMINDER: Residents of CA, DC, MA, NJ, NY, RI & VA still have time to #GetCovered starting Feb. 1st!

acasignups.net/25/01/16/aca...

How to help victims of the Los Angeles fires The fires have razed through roughly 42 square miles — nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco.

For folks looking for ways to support the LA community during this tragedy:

A little piece from me on disability law as a lens through which to view the Grants Pass homelessness litigation, forthcoming in a disability law symposium in the Wayne Law Review: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

As HHS General Counsel from June 2022 to December 2024, I frequently advised CDC on its public health authorities. Here, I argue that it would be unlawful for Trump and Stephen Miller to restrict immigration on the pretext of invoking those authorities.

buttondown.com/sbagen/archi...

This is yet another tragic example of why inclusive disaster planning and response is an absolute must (and required by the law!!!). Without intentional planning, disabled people and older adults again and again get left behind. #InclusiveDisasterResponse #Disability #Aging #ADA #504

Why Medicaid cuts could be a 'crisis' for people with disabilities If the new administration slashes federal Medicaid spending, millions of people with disabilities would be cut off from critical health care services.

The Trump Republican reconciliation bill will be a clear and present danger for disabled people and families. (Just for starters.)

Why Medicaid cuts could be a ‘crisis’ for people with disabilities www.statnews.com/2025/01/06/t... via @statnews.com

How to fight ageism in the world around you — and in yourself Discrimination based on someone's age is so ingrained in society that most of us don't notice it. Yet it affects us all and fighting it not only helps make a better society, it also helps us live long...

Discrimination based on someone's age is so ingrained in society that most of us don't notice it. Yet it affects us all and fighting it not only helps make a better society, it also helps us live longer, healthier lives.

Take Action on Fair Pay for Disabled Workers with a Public Comment! - Autistic Self Advocacy Network Download this explainer as a PDF here. Listen to someone read this explainer out loud here. Words to know 14(c): A part of the Fair Labor Standards Act that says employers can pay disabled people…

Disabled people shouldn’t make less money just because we’re disabled. Tell the Department of Labor to end subminimum wages! Learn more and take action:

it's dire. another striking disparity: if you fall and break your hand, your insurance has to cover that.

unless it's a prosthetic hand. sorry, service lifetime isn't complete, hope you can afford the 20k+ replacement out of pocket.

it's your hand, you say? to insurance companies it's a gadget.

Medicaid Facts: #Medicaid covers Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) so patients can get to/from their medical appointments when they don't have other means. It's particularly critical for people with disabilities and seniors on Medicaid. #healthpolicy
www.cms.gov/medicare/med...