In our recent Let’s Talk: Advocacy & Legislation session, Kim Dodson, CEO of The Arc of Indiana, shared important updates about Medicaid waivers and advocacy efforts. Here are the key takeaways:
Kim provided an update on what’s happening at the Statehouse. The recent state budget includes full funding for Medicaid waivers, which was passed by the House of Representatives. However, this funding will not apply to the 19,000 people currently on the waiting list for Medicaid waivers due to changes made in 2024. Additionally, ABA services for children will now be capped at 30 hours per week, and a retroactive lifetime cap of 36 months is proposed. While these changes are concerning, Kim emphasized that there’s ongoing work to prevent retroactive changes.
On the federal level, there is a proposed $888 billion cut to Medicaid waivers over the next 10 years, which could greatly impact these essential services. Kim pointed out that many lawmakers in Washington may not fully understand the consequences of these cuts and urged attendees to contact their local Congress members to advocate for the continued funding of Medicaid waivers.
📣 Take Action:
✔️ Share your Medicaid story
She encouraged everyone to share their personal Medicaid stories on The Arc of Indiana website https://www.arcind.org and to write to local senators about the benefits of Medicaid waivers. She also discussed how Indiana stands out with many private Medicaid providers, which adds complexity to the issue compared to other states.
✔️ Sign up for advocacy alerts
Then the session wrapped up with Kim encouraging participants to sign up for advocacy updates and stay involved in pushing for better policies that protect Medicaid waivers.
Sign up for updates here: https://p2a.co/arcind-action
✔️ Learn how to advocate effectively
Everyone is encouraged to participate in public advocacy. For those interested in helpful tips on public advocacy, you can access a valuable guide here:
Public Advocacy Guide: View Here
Learn more about the HANDS Let’s Talk series and ways to get involved at Local Community Cadres