The Issue (as of 3/3/2025)

In February, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed critical federal budget resolutions that target federal spending cuts well into the trillions of dollars.

The House Resolution targets deep spending cuts of $880M in federal fiscal year 2026. Medicaid is among the programs facing deep cuts and restructuring.

Additionally, the Trump Administration has proposed the following fundamental changes to Medicaid:

Why does this matter to Makom?

The Affordable Care Act allowed for states to essentially expand Medicaid to cover people who weren’t otherwise covered by private or other health insurance. The federal government offered certain incentives to entice states to do so, including a higher federal matching rate. The overall average federal match rate for Medicaid is around 62%.

For the services and supports that Makom provides, the match rate is 50%, or $1:$1—for every dollar put in by MD and VA, the states receive a matching dollar from the federal government.

By way of targeting the match rates, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated savings of $1.9 trillion. However, the cost of withdrawing that level of federal financial commitment is the loss of Medicaid as health insurance to hundreds of thousands Americans, including our friends, colleagues, family members, and neighbors with IDD.

The Ask

Visit the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) Medicaid Resource Center. It is full of great tools and ways for you to make your voice heard. The Arc of the US also has an easy way for you to advocate with members of Congress. The President of Makom’s Board of Directors, Heather Sachs, is deeply engaged in this fight on Makom’s behalf and for National Down Syndrome Congress. Please join Heather and all of us at Makom to #SaveMedicaid.