Caroline O. @RVAwonk Mar 16
Replying to @RVAwonk
First, let's talk about how #Trumpcare would be absolutely devastating for people with autism & other developmental disabilities. 1/
Medicaid is is the single-largest health payer for people w/autism. Their care is now at risk if GOP repeals #ACA's Medicaid expansion. 2/ pic.twitter.com/hpcufuaUN4
Making Medicaid a block grant program will cut states' funding for services & let them opt out of covering critical services for autism. 3/ pic.twitter.com/oIdasjcede
Those 10 essential benefits that the GOP wants to eliminate? They include crucial mental, behavioral, & rehabilitative therapies. 4/ pic.twitter.com/n0biX7sBEz
Eliminating these "would severely limit the availability of services to children w/ autism or other disabilities" 5/
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#ACA expanded the scope of the Mental Health Parity Act, which improved access to autism-specific services. This is now in jeopardy. 6/ pic.twitter.com/fu09ax2lIS
You know how the GOP keeps talking abt "opening up the insurance market across state lines"? Well let's talk abt what that really means. 7/ pic.twitter.com/OG2Jf4WUQW
Background: State autism-coverage mandates have increased the # of children receiving coverage for autism care. 8/
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GOP plan to 'open up the interstate market' = a “race to the bottom” in which states would repeal these mandates. 9/
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States would be boxed into repealing these mandates to make in-state insurance purchases more price competitive. 10/
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i.e., competitiveness on the insurance market is achieved by repealing consumer protections & coverage mandates. 11/
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The result? "Gains achieved to date in access to autism-specific services could be reversed." 12/
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But the threat to autism care is not limited to the impact of #ACA repeal. School-based autism services (via IDEA) are also at risk. 13/ pic.twitter.com/MzVnSpxdLi
Betsy DeVos doesn't even know what IDEA is. Jeff Sessions calls it an "irritating problem for teachers." 14/
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The #trumpbudget proposal calls for a 14% cut to the Dept. of Education. Here's what that could look like for children w/disabilities. 15/ pic.twitter.com/JS3ADyGwP8
Link to article ("Trump’s budget fails to put America’s children first"): thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/education/324128-trumps-budget-fails-to-put-americas-children-first …
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On top of this: DeVos' plan for school vouchers would let schools skirt protections for children w/disabilities. 16/ www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/reports/2017/02/02/298010/betsy-devos-threat-to-children-with-disabilities/ … pic.twitter.com/ngedyvPzgu
On top of that: Betsy DeVos has not divested from her holdings in Neurocore. Will her decisions be evidence-based? Or profit-based? 17/ pic.twitter.com/kvtkM7WJpY
NEJM warns: DeVos "could have a financial incentive to shift education ... away from evidence-based practices" 18/
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Our nation's most vulnerable children (& adults) are under siege right now. It's our responsibility to make sure their voices are heard. -X-
Also: If Medicaid is block-granted, children & adults w/disabilities are likely to lose access to in-home care. www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2017/01/12/donald-trump-is-waging-a-war-against-autistic-people/2/#422a914f6381 … pic.twitter.com/5mvpUcNnT3
So instead of receiving care at home with their families, they will be sent to institutions.
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"If Donald Trump has his way, autistic people will lose healthcare & coverage & access to treatment & therapies, and some of them will die." pic.twitter.com/mFRcqwjq7g