In The Politics of Autism, I discuss health care issues and state Medicaid services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Kyli Rodriguez-Cayro writes at Bustle:
[On] Oct. 12, Trump signed a health care executive order meant to undermine and dismantle Obamacare. According to CNN, the executive order “would allow consumers to buy short-term policies, which don't have to comply with Obamacare's protections for those with pre-existing conditions.” Essentially, with this executive order, many disabled people, and the protections they receive through the ACA, will be seriously impacted.
Trump’s executive order is predicted to be part of a larger plan to gut Obamacare — a plan being called a “synthetic repeal.” The term was coined on Twitter by Andy Slavitt, who served as Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the last two years of Obama’s presidency. Slavitt believes following the Oct. 12 order, the Trump administration will continue to destabilize the health marketplace — without the help of Congress — until the ACA fails. In response to Trump’s executive order and the possible backdoor repeal, Bustle spoke with Stacy Stanford, a disability rights advocate and community organizer who works with Utah Health Policy Project.
One thing is very clear: tomorrow the ACA is officially no longer Obamacare. It's Trumpcare. twitter.com/aslavitt/statu…
Though the executive order and possible “synthetic repeal” will negatively affect many marginalized communities, it poses an especially great risk to people with disabilities. Stanford tells Bustle, “Introducing more options for healthy people to buy less-comprehensive coverage, removed from the protections of the Affordable Care Act, only increases the burden on sick and disabled people.” By effectively giving non-disabled people the choice to buy insurance plans that include less coverage, premiums for disabled people will increase dramatically.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) condemns the executive order issued by President Trump today attacking critical protections for people with disabilities in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The executive order would make it easier for insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, and could allow insurers to sell junk coverage that doesn’t cover critical services and won’t protect people from soaring health care costs. The American people have clearly and repeatedly rejected this kind of proposal. As ASAN has stated in the past, any future attempts at health care reform must meet the needs of all Americans, leave the Medicaid program intact, and proactively include the disability community from the beginning of the process. ASAN calls on the Trump administration to listen to the voices of everyday Americans, stop attempting to sabotage the ACA, and support a bipartisan process in Congress. Our government must work to develop thoughtful and carefully considered proposals that make healthcare better for everyone and increase access to quality, affordable coverage rather than endangering the lives of people with disabilities.
