Trumpcare would be so catastrophic to so many groups of people that it’s hard to fully track the damage Republicans are trying to set in motion. But add special education students to your mental list of those harmed, because in addition to slashing Medicaid funding, Trumpcare would allow states to stop considering schools to be eligible Medicaid providers. Currently:
School districts rely on Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor, to provide costly services to millions of students with disabilities across the country. For nearly 30 years, Medicaid has helped school systems cover costs for special education services and equipment, from physical therapists to feeding tubes. The money is also used to provide preventive care, such as vision and hearing screenings, for other Medicaid-eligible children. [...]
AASA, an advocacy association for school superintendents, estimates that school districts receive about $4 billion in Medicaid reimbursements annually. In a January survey of nearly 1,000 district officials in 42 states, nearly 70 percent of districts reported that they used the money to pay the salaries of health care professionals who serve special education students.
We’re talking here about the right and the ability of kids to get a decent education. We’re talking about basic care for kids with disabilities, care that allows them to learn and succeed. And even if you’re a Republican member of Congress who doesn’t care about any of that stuff, in theory you should support this because the relatively small investment in a child’s health and education early can make it possible for them to be healthier and get a better job later in life. That can mean greater contributions to the economy and lower government expenditures on those same children as adults.
But Republicans don’t care about that, of course. They’re reminding us that they don’t want to save money in the long term by investing in children, that all their budget and debt talk is fake. And the goal here is to take health care away from millions of people. Why would they stop at special education students?
from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2pJxOnx
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