Disabled people are massively at risk of even further inequality and poverty if they just wait and see what happens.
Wes Streeting is very open about wanting more privatisation of the NHS, Labour have plans for extending PFIs, and they have repeatedly used the exact same rhetoric as Conservatives (i.e. needing to encourage disabled people into work, reduce the welfare bill, improve access to healthcare instead of cash handouts etc etc).
This is all very worrying - "improving access to healthcare" AS AN ALTERNATIVE to cash handouts shows a) that there is money they could spend on healthcare that they will only spend if they can cut it from disabled people and b) that they see no problem with a situation in which you may need to be on PIP to get the quickest access to treatment for your long term health condition.
Continuing the rhetoric of encouraging disabled people back into work is allowing the stigmatisation of people who overwhelmingly say they'd love to be able to work and that the reason they can't is usually because there are no jobs that suit their abilities, because the demands of working make them sicker or because employers do not allow any flexibility or actively discriminate against them. Imagine competing with healthy applicants with excellent health records if you've had 10 days absence in the last year, have hospital appointments a couple of times per month and need reasonable adjustments in your new role.
I would urge anyone who is disabled, knows anyone disabled or who cares about disabled people to fill out the consultation survey before it runs out on 22 July and to remember that vouchers/catalogues will place severe limits on what disabled people can actually buy, which will benefit nobody but the companies chosen to supply those catalogues/accept those vouchers. It's also very expensive to administer those schemes, so the only way it would save money is if they also massively reduce the number of people eligible for PIP in the first place.
There is more to be said about how research on benefits of work for sick/disabled people talks about how work is only beneficial for disabled people if it is the right type of work, safe, accommodating, and within a disabled person's capabilities, none of which is ever taken into account when these kinds of changes are made.
Hopefully the link will work (see below). If not, search for "Modernising Support for Independent Living The Health and Disability Green Paper" and then go to the "How to Respond" section for the link.
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper#how-to-respond