"Emma Denice Milligan can be a prankster. Her warm eyes, big smile and wheelchair can be misleading, said her caregiver, Wanda Kincy. But Emma once crashed a wedding and helped herself to the food. Another time, she put herself on a plane from Oakland to Chicago to meet her high school sweetheart without telling her caregivers. The care Kincy provides is covered through California's Medicaid program, also known as Medi-Cal."
"In July, Congress approved roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, beginning in 2026. Because the federal government pays roughly 54% of California's total home- and community-based services costs, the impending cuts immediately raised alarm. The White House has said the budget package would not affect Medicaid coverage for people with disabilities. Advocates warn the changes will nonetheless fall heavily on home- and community-based services, which aren't protected like nursing home services."
""The federal Medicaid cuts are an absolute disaster for HCBS," said Sabrina Epstein, a policy analyst at Disability Rights California. She said the cuts will push many people off Medicaid, leaving them without access to the only program that funds round-the-clock in-home support."
Emma Denice Milligan receives in-home support from caregiver Wanda Kincy that is paid through California's Medi-Cal. Most home- and community-based services are optional under federal law, allowing states to set coverage and scope. In July, Congress approved roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts beginning in 2026, and the federal government currently funds about 54% of California's HCBS costs. Advocates warn optional HCBS are vulnerable to reductions, potentially pushing people off Medicaid and forcing them into nursing homes or onto unpaid family care despite White House assurances about disability coverage.
Read at Kqed
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