Medicaid Cuts Could Put Services for Disabled Californians At Risk | KQED

"A fall-themed Snoopy jazz playlist hums throughout the art studio, rising just above the soft scratching of brushes on canvas. One person uses purple paint to carefully outline Squidward, his fourth SpongeBob-themed painting. Another artist prefers to paint airplanes, having previously worked at the airport. Ansley, 64, has autism and several physical disabilities, including deep vein thrombosis and cataracts. Since 2019, he's been attending art classes three days a week at The Arc San Francisco."

"As the local chapter of the national Arc organization, the nonprofit serves about 800 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Bay Area. In addition to art, music and cooking classes, The Arc helps clients find jobs, pursue higher education and navigate their health care. Now, programs like these are at risk nationwide. When President Donald Trump signed into law his sweeping policy bill, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill, it included roughly $1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts over the next decade."

Community-based programs provide art, music, cooking classes and employment, education and health navigation services for hundreds of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc San Francisco serves about 800 local adults and offers regular classes that support social, vocational and health outcomes. Federal policy changes include roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, which could reduce federal Medi-Cal funding to California by billions annually. State budget decisions will determine whether home- and community-based services for hundreds of thousands of Californians face reductions or elimination.

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