Latest news with #CaringAcrossGenerations
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
For Those Facing Addiction, Medicaid Is a Lifeline
Advocates attend a 24-hour vigil at the U.S. Capitol to share stories and urge lawmakers to protect Medicaid on May 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Credit - Leigh Vogel—Getty Images/Caring Across Generations The fluorescent lights of the intake office hummed on Thanksgiving Eve in 2014, a stark contrast to the chaotic darkness I'd been living in. I was terrified, exhausted, and sick of myself. My addiction had stripped away everything: my career, my home, my dignity. I was at the absolute bottom, a place where the idea of work was not just impossible, but utterly irrelevant. My only focus was survival, and that meant finding a way out of the hell of active heroin addiction. Beyond the addiction itself, I was suffering from unresolved trauma, and with my substance use came untreated mental health challenges, including severe depression and at times suicidal ideations. A power greater than myself helped me find recovery—but so did Medicaid. It was my lifeline, the one thing that stood between me and a death I felt was inevitable. Now, as Congress debates sweeping Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' I see that lifeline being severed for millions of Americans struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. This isn't just about budget lines; it's about lives. It's about reversing the hard-won progress we've made in the fight against the overdose crisis, and condemning countless vulnerable individuals to a fate I barely escaped. In the depths of my addiction, I was unemployable. The idea of holding down a job, showing up consistently, or even performing basic tasks was a cruel joke. My days were consumed by the relentless pursuit of the next fix, driven by a physical and psychological dependence that overshadowed all else. When I finally found a bed in a treatment center, it was Medicaid that covered the cost. Without it, I would have been left to die on the streets, another statistic in a crisis that already claims far too many. Here is the stark reality: Medicaid is the single largest payer for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services in the United States. It covers nearly 40% of all adults with SUD. This isn't a minor player; it's the backbone of our nation's addiction and mental health treatment infrastructure. When we talk about cutting Medicaid, we're talking about dismantling this critical support system. While the House of Representatives has made an exemption for individuals with substance use disorders from work requirements in the bill, there are dangerous nuances in the proposed changes. The bill still threatens to rip away healthcare from people with mental health challenges, without recognizing the critical link between substance use disorder and mental health. These are often co-occurring disorders, and denying care for one inevitably impacts the other. Taking away mental health care and essential healthcare services from low-income populations puts an already vulnerable group at a significantly higher risk for addiction. We've learned from the so-called "diseases of despair" that without adequate mental health care, individuals will often turn to illicit substances to cope, putting them at a higher risk of overdose. The idea that these cuts will somehow incentivize people to enter the workforce is a dangerous fantasy. Access to treatment is not a reward for being "ready" or "worthy"; it is a fundamental human right and a public health imperative. When people are denied access to care, they don't magically get better. They get sicker. They cycle through emergency rooms, jails, and homelessness, costing taxpayers far more in the long run. . Economists estimate the total cost of opioid use disorder in the United States reached $4 trillion in 2024. Investing in treatment through programs like Medicaid is not an expense; it's an investment in a healthier, more productive society. The estimated $280 billion in savings over six years that the CBO projects from Medicaid changes will be dwarfed by the increased costs to the government in emergency services, incarceration, and lost productivity. Read more: The Truth About Fentanyl Is Scary Enough. Myths About It Don't Help We are at a critical juncture in the overdose crisis. After years of escalating deaths, we've begun to see glimmers of hope, thanks in part to expanded access to treatment. Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. significantly decreased in 2024, marking the largest one-year decline ever recorded, a testament to the power of comprehensive approaches that include accessible healthcare. To reverse course now, to pull the rug out from under those who are fighting for their lives, would be an act of profound negligence. It would destroy lives and undo the fragile progress we've painstakingly made. While the House package has passed, it is now time for the Senate to do the responsible thing and ensure millions of Americans aren't left in harm's way with no access to doctors, emergency rooms, or treatment. I want to imagine a world where people are allowed to live despite our struggles. Where we're not shunned as criminals or treated like lepers. I imagine us as valued citizens who are part of society. My own journey to recovery was paved by the grace of a higher power, but also by the practical, tangible support of Medicaid. It allowed me to get the treatment I needed, to heal, and to rebuild a life I thought was lost forever. Congress has a choice: To continue down a path that will inevitably lead to more suffering and death, or to embrace compassion, evidence-based policy, and the understanding that for millions, Medicaid isn't a luxury—it's a lifeline. Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters gather outside Rep. Barrett's Lansing office after vote to approve federal budget bill
Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett's (R-Charlotte) Lansing office to demonstrate against his vote for the federal budget bill on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Around 30 people gathered outside the office of U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) Thursday afternoon to protest what they say is his lack of accountability, absence from public events since taking office, and his position on the federal budget bill. 'We are here to tell our representatives that we are watching them. Their votes have real consequences for real people; it's costing lives. They think they can just cast their votes and be done, give all these tax cuts to the rich, and put blood on their hands,' Zahna Woodson, 31, from Caring Across Generations said. 'This affects real people, this affects real lives, and it is detrimental to us. We have things to say, and they should come and face us.' The protest was scheduled for noon, when demonstrators began arriving with signs criticizing the Trump administration and Rep. Barrett, while expressing support for Medicare and Medicaid services. 'We were hopeful that we could get Tom to vote no on this federal budget bill. We knew it was going to be hard, but we wanted our voices to be heard. Now, we're shaming him for constantly voting against his constituents' needs,' said Cecilia Garcia-Linz, 50, a member of the Sierra Club. On Thursday morning, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives approved the sweeping tax-cut bill dubbed the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' by Donald Trump, sending it to the U.S. Senate. Absent Tom Barrett, 7th District town hall meeting lets constituents express concerns, frustrations In an 'X' post, Rep. Barrett announced he voted yes, stating he did so to 'deliver for hard-working families across mid-Michigan. Promises made. Promises kept.' 'We have thousands of supporters across the state of Michigan, and we will be impacted by this terrible budget bill. Seniors, veterans, and those who rely on Medicaid, like I did as a child and I do for mine, were able to survive and escape poverty because of these social services,' Garcia-Linz remarked. The demonstration continued with various speakers emphasizing the defense of social services including Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, which are currently considered under threat by the approval of the federal budget bill. 'I don't know how many of you here are on Medicaid, but Medicaid and Medicare save lives,' said Judy Suess, 65, finishing her speech, followed by applause. As the speeches came to an end, some protesters began chanting and waving their signs at passing drivers and pedestrians, with a few honking their horns in support of the cause. Kimberly Smith, 65, a senior resident from Dewitt, was chanting and waving her sign passionately to the passing drivers until the end of the demonstration, and she explained her concern about these possible social service cuts. 'Social Security came about to bring seniors who have retired out of poverty years and years ago. Set to fund itself, and it does, and it was working just fine. Medicaid and Medicare help our seniors, our disabled, and those who need it, to keep them alive with the medical care they cannot have,' Smith said. After about an hour, approximately 15 protesters headed to the office of U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) at the Federal building in Lansing to demonstrate after they learned through an email from the Sierra Club about her vote in favor of legislation repealing California's EPA waiver. In an email, members of the Sierra Club criticized Slotkin's position. 'This standard has been one of the most powerful tools in reducing harmful air pollution, protecting our health, and fighting climate change in the United States. Trying to take away this authority is not only legally questionable, it would also have serious consequences for our health, our environment, and our economy,' the email stated. In a press release, Slotkin emphasized her commitment to Michigan workers, noting that they live in the world's auto capital and rely heavily on the automotive industry. She added that, as other states are beginning to reverse course on the policy, Michigan should consider doing the same. 'Today, I voted to prevent California and the states that follow its standard from effectively banning gas-powered cars by 2035. Michigan is the auto capital of the world, and as Michigan's U.S. Senator, I have a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry,' Slotkin stated. The protesters then returned to Barrett's office, where they ended the demonstration without incident. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Protesters gathered outside Sen. Elissa Slotkin's (D-Holly) office on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett's (R-Charlotte) Lansing office to demonstrate against his vote for the federal budget bill on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett's (R-Charlotte) Lansing office to demonstrate against his vote for the federal budget bill on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett's (R-Charlotte) Lansing office to demonstrate against his vote for the federal budget bill on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett's (R-Charlotte) Lansing office to demonstrate against his vote for the federal budget bill on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Hands Off sign carried by a protester, outside the Lansing office of U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett's (R-Charlotte) Lansing office to demonstrate against his vote for the federal budget bill on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett's (R-Charlotte) Lansing office to demonstrate against his vote for the federal budget bill on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Let's separate Medicaid myth from fact
A pro-Medicaid message lights up the Capitol grounds, May 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo byfor Caring Across Generations) During my 14 years in the Kentucky House of Representatives, I was deeply involved in overseeing Kentucky's Medical Assistance Program better known as Medicaid. I co-chaired a committee that made an in-depth study of Medicaid that resulted in legislation that I sponsored to address waste, fraud and abuse. Recently, Medicaid and its recipients have been misrepresented, resulting in divisive and misleading rhetoric. It is crucial that we examine the facts carefully and address the misinformation stemming from recent news reporting and pending legislative actions. Medicaid funds do not go directly to recipients. Medicaid services prepay for medical care, such as doctor visits, procedures and medications to aid low-income families, children, parents, caregivers, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities. The proposal in Congress to cut Medicaid by $625 billion over 10 years, leaving an estimated 7.6 million people without health insurance by 2034, along with the impending work requirements, suggests a lack of sensitivity or understanding regarding the nature of this program and the demographics of Medicaid recipients in Kentucky and nationwide. Let's begin with a quick overview: Medicaid, established in 1965, is a public insurance program that provides health coverage to low-income families and individuals, including children, parents, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. It is funded jointly by the federal government and the states. Funds allocated for Medicaid do not go directly to recipients but are used to pay health care providers on a fee-for-service basis or through prepayment arrangements for medical care. This includes doctor visits, medical procedures, medications and more. In Kentucky, the federal government pays about 70% and the state 30% of traditional Medicaid reimbursements while the match is 90% federal-10% state for expanded Medicaid, allowing Kentucky to provide 'significant health care services' at a good value. Now let's look at the myth surrounding work requirements for Medicaid care. As the chair of the 1993 Program Review and Investigations Committee and principal sponsor of House Bill 127, an act relating to waste, fraud and abuse, I have consistently kept up with the Kentucky Medicaid Program over the years. It appears a long-standing misconception has produced an effort to create a solution for a problem that does not exist. Full-time and part-time workers must rely on Medicaid and SNAP, a nutrition assistance program, because they do not earn a living wage to support their families. Maybe addressing this issue would help find a solution to the real, underlying problem we are currently facing. Between 2015 and 2017, over 60% of Kentucky Medicaid recipients consistently held full-time or part-time employment. According to 2023 data from the Kaiser Foundation, Kentucky currently ranks 10th in the nation for the number of 'working Medicaid recipients.' There are 56.4% with full-time employment and 14.6% with part-time employment. Subsequently, 70.7% of Medicaid recipients are currently working, while 29.3% are not employed. The non-working group comprises elderly individuals, people with disabilities, children and caregivers who together account for approximately 19.8%. These individuals do not meet any of the work requirements currently being proposed. Consequently, the legislative proposals being considered would only affect 9.5% of the remaining Medicaid population here in Kentucky — undoubtedly, a solution for a problem that does not exist. Work requirements put up barriers to Medicaid coverage. Changes to work and reporting requirements and eligibility criteria have been shown to cause confusion among Medicaid enrollees, leading to substantial coverage loss, even for those who are eligible. A 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation report revealed that nearly 70% of people who had been dropped from Medicaid lost coverage due to procedural reasons. This is just the latest evidence of the harmful impact on peoples' access to health care caused by recent changes in Medicaid policy. During the time studied, Kentucky disenrolled 71,000 enrollees for missed paperwork and other procedural reasons. Of these, 74% (52,540) lost coverage attributed to barriers created by the beginnings of a state Medicaid work requirement that a court blocked from taking full effect, while 26% were found ineligible. As a result, 52,540 individuals lost access to health care services. Clearly, any barriers affecting Kentucky's Medicaid recipients warrant reevaluation. Our diligent Medicaid recipients merit equitable treatment and consideration. However, Houston, we do have a problem: Kentucky reported that in 2022, half of working Medicaid enrollees (50%) were employed by companies with over 100 employees and 42.8% worked in the agriculture/service sector. These full-time and part-time workers must rely on Medicaid and SNAP, a nutrition assistance program, because they do not earn a living wage to support their families. Maybe addressing this issue would help find a solution to the real, underlying problem we are currently facing. The Congressional Budget Office's analysis shows that this 'one big, beautiful bill' will reduce expansion reimbursements, add additional cost to Medicaid recipients, add work requirements, increase coverage barriers, cut Medicaid spending by $625 billion over 10 years, and leave at least 7.6 million more people without health insurance by 2034. True leadership involves building bridges, not barriers. Jack L. Coleman, a Democrat from Harrodsburg, represented Kentucky's 55th House District from 1991 to 2005. As co-chair of the legislature's Program Review and Investigations Committee, he helped lead a study of Medicaid that included findings and recommendations concerning financial accountability, recovery and drug utilization. In 1996, he sponsored House Bill 127, an act related to Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse, based on the results of the study. The bill served as a companion to Senate Bill 37, sponsored by then-Sen. Susan Johns, co-chair of the program review committee. Coleman is the father of Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Health
- USA Today
'More pressure on families.' Nearly half of US states are on the brink of a caregiving emergency
'More pressure on families.' Nearly half of US states are on the brink of a caregiving emergency Show Caption Hide Caption Who is on Medicaid? The popular program could be on the chopping block 72 million people in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid, the federal and state health insurance program for those who are disabled or low income. Aisha Adkins, 40, barely had a chance to breathe between her mother's death and her father's vascular dementia diagnosis, both of which happened in 2023. Adkins, of Georgia, cared for her mother for a decade after her mom was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration dementia. At first, caring for her mom meant reminding her to turn off the stove after cooking and assisting with the laundry. Later, Adkins said, it meant bathing her, dressing her and feeding her. Being a full-time family caregiver also meant putting some of her own needs to the side. She went several years without a job and without health insurance while caring for her mom. And Adkins said she's found it difficult to maintain friendships and other relationships while caring for her parents. Now, her father is her top priority. More: 'I don't know where to start.' Parents and caregivers are burned out. Who's most at risk? 'I would love to be married someday," Adkins said. "I don't know if that's something that will happen for me, just because caregiving is a full-time responsibility and not everyone has the capacity to understand what caregiving means, what it looks like and the sacrifice that it takes, and that they can't always be your No. 1 priority." A new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found nearly half of America's states are on the brink of a caregiving emergency, with the worst conditions being in the South. In the study, sponsored by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, researchers developed a new scorecard to assess the urgency of local caregiving needs. States' scores are based on measures like the number of long-term care beds available, the number of paid health aids per resident, the percent of people over 65, the number of families paying more than 30% of their income toward housing, the AARP's long-term care rankings and the number of individuals with dementia in the state. From there, researchers grouped states into four categories: critical, high risk, safe for now and well-supported. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, South Carolina and Tennessee are the states deemed critical and in need of immediate action. 'It's no surprise to us that every state has work to do to ensure the caregivers living in their states, along with those who need care, have what they need," said Nicole Jorwic, chief program officer for Caring Across Generations. "Family caregivers are often on the brink of catastrophe due to lack of support systems." Other research has pointed to worse health outcomes for people in Southern states, including a 2023 Alzheimer's Association study that found higher cases of Alzheimer's disease dementia in east and southeastern regions of the U.S. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 Scorecard on State Health System Performance ranked states based on several factors including premature death rates and healthcare access and affordability. The lowest-scoring states in that report were Mississippi, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. More: More than 7 million Americans have Alzheimer's. Research cuts could slow the fight. 'We're just placing more and more pressure on families to take care of their loved ones," said John McHugh, lead researcher and adjunct assistant professor of health policy and management at Columbia. 'We're asking more and more of individuals without providing any sort of support or compensation, or anything along those lines.' Jaeron Mickle, public information officer for Nevada's Aging and Disability Services Division, said the division helps unpaid family caregivers by providing financial support through state and federal programs and partnering with advocacy groups like the Nevada Lifespan Respite Care Coalition, which created the Nevada State Plan to Support Family Caregivers in 2022. "Each year, about $2.5 million is given to community organizations to offer respite care and other services for people over 60. In addition, the state is working on two federal grants under the Lifespan Respite Care Act to raise awareness and improve access to respite care in Nevada," Mickle wrote in an email to USA TODAY. Southern states have caregiver programming, but Medicaid expansion is crucial, experts say In South Carolina there are more than 125,000 people living with dementia, according to the state's Alzheimer's Disease Registry. "Four years ago, we knew to address the rising number of those being diagnosed with dementia and the countless hours of care our caregivers were providing, our agency needed to take a closer look at how to meet these demands," Connie Munn, director of the South Carolina Department of Aging said in an email to USA TODAY. That's why the department established the Caregiver and Alzheimer's Resource Division, Munn said. The state also established a Family Caregiver Support Program in 2001 that "placed an emphasis on respite" to support family caregivers. In 2022, the state launched a Dementia Care Specialist program aimed at providing education and support to those living with dementia and their family caregivers. The state has plans to expand the program this year, Munn said. "This program is strategically placed within our communities to allow those with early diagnosis, as well as family members, to have a place to go for resources within their local communities," Munn said. But South Carolina, like several other states in the South, is one of 10 states that didn't adopt the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Medicaid helps caregivers just as much as it helps patients, said Christina Irving, client services director for the Family Caregiver Alliance. "Medicaid provides crucial home and community-based services that are vital to family caregivers and the people they care for," Irving said. "These programs help older adults and people with disabilities stay at home and out of institutions, and may even directly compensate family caregivers, especially important for those who had to leave their jobs to provide care." Jorwic said Medicaid is one of the most important systems for caregivers and its expansion "is a win/win for caregivers and the entire care system.' Caring Across Generations is one of 730 national, state and local organizations backing a letter to members of the House urging them to reject proposed Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's pending budget reconciliation package. The legislation is still far from the finish line. Once it gets through the gantlet of the House, it will have to go through committees and a floor vote in the Senate. Policy details may be tweaked at any point along the way. More: 'Don't f--- around with Medicaid': Trump works to clear out GOP opposition to policy bill "It's an imperfect program, but the only game in town when it comes to funding long-term care," Jorwic said of Medicaid. "The choice to not expand has a direct impact on the integrity of our systems and the well being of caregivers." Georgia didn't expand Medicaid, either, and the state also has one of the largest shortages of home health aides in the country, the Columbia report found. Adkins said "it was very difficult to access supports and services, particularly in the beginning," when her mom was first diagnosed. Her mother had a case worker, Adkins said, but there was so much turnover in the agency that it took years to make any progress in finding help. They were eventually able to secure in-home care, first at 20 hours per week and later at 40 hours per week, toward the end of her mom's life. Ellen Brown, communications director for the Georgia Department of Human Services, said the state's Division of Aging Services "prioritizes and supports caregivers in a number of ways," including community service providers contracted by the Area Agency on Aging, which connects families with in- and out-of-home respite care and caregiver support groups. The division also implemented a stress assessment for family caregivers, and there are a dozen dementia care specialists dispersed across the state to provide information and support to caregivers of people living with dementia. The Division of Aging Services also contracted with the University of North Georgia's Institute for Healthy Aging in 2025 to conduct the Georgia Respite Care Study. The project aims to provide policies, programs, and best practices in other Southeastern states "that could potentially be implemented in Georgia to help serve caregivers more effectively," Brown said. "The results of the study will help inform future data collection, program initiatives, and funding opportunities to improve and bolster the caregiver infrastructure in Georgia," Brown said. A spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Senior Services, too, said the department "is taking meaningful, proactive steps to address caregivers' needs, particularly helping caregivers caring for older adults, relative caregivers caring for grandchildren or other relative children, those impacted by dementia, and those impacted by the opioid epidemic." The Alabama CARES program has helped family caregivers since 2000, and the state also has an Area Agency on Aging like the one in Georgia. The state has various other partnerships to support caregivers, including programs that target caregivers for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. What does the future of care look like? 'I would worry.' Adkins' experience isn't unique. And in nearly half of the country, McHugh said, any additional budget cuts to the healthcare system "could really push these states over the threshold into a full-blown crisis." 'A lot of it comes down to a much stronger policy environment around aging," he said. In the absence of state support, Adkins said she and other caregivers rely on each other. She recently launched an Instagram account, Caregivers Of Color Collective, that she hopes will encourage other family caregivers of color and lead them to helpful resources. More: A woman's retirement crisis: Between caregiving and gender wage gap, can they catch up? Adkins' father is in the early stages of dementia now. He mostly needs reminders to take his medicine and help finding misplaced keys. But Adkins knows his condition could progress quickly. Her father doesn't want her to go through the same challenges she did when she cared for her mother, and doesn't want Adkins to care for him full time. But Adkins said she's not sure she's comfortable with the alternative, which would be placing him in a short-staffed nursing home with high turnover. 'I would worry about his safety. I would worry about his ability to be cared for in a way that I would care for him," she said. "And so I wrestle, still, with what the future of care looks like.' Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal Ventures and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach Madeline at memitchell@ and @maddiemitch_ on X.
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
How Meals on Wheels cuts endanger US seniors: ‘life and death implications'
The Trump administration's slashes to the Department of Health and Human Services is threatening Meals on Wheels, the popular program dedicated to combatting senior hunger and isolation. Despite decades of bipartisan support, Meals on Wheels now faces attacks from Republicans whose budget blueprint paves the way for deep cuts to nutrition and other social safety-net programs as a way to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. It's a move anti-hunger advocates and policy experts warn could have disastrous ramifications for the millions of older Americans who rely on the program to eat each day. 'It's not hyperbolic to say that we're going to be leaving people hungry and that this literally has life and death implications,' said Nicole Jorwic, the chief of advocacy and campaigns at Caring Across Generations, a non-profit that advocates for aging Americans, disabled people and their caregivers. 'This is not just about a nice-to-have program. These programs are necessities in the lives of seniors all over this country.' While it is still unknown exactly what will be slashed, the blueprint sets the stage for the potential elimination of the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), a key source of funding for local Meals on Wheels programs in 37 states, and serious cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) and Medicaid, which would increase food insecurity and hardship and skyrocket demand for Meals on Wheels services. The entire staff who oversaw SSBG have already been fired, according to reports. If Congress takes away SSBG funding and weakens other programs, seniors who rely on in-home deliveries or meals in community and senior centers to survive would receive less help as Meals on Wheels community providers would be forced to reduce services, add people to waitlists or turn seniors facing hunger away altogether. Some program operators who are already making tough choices about who to serve due to strained budgets and rising need have said it feels as though they are 'playing God'. 'We're talking about lives here so it's worrisome to me,' said Ellie Hollander, the president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. 'Some of our programs are already operating on razor-thin budgets and are pulling from their reserves. [If funding goes away], it could result in some programs having to close their doors.' In the US one in four Americans is over the age of 60 and nearly 13 million seniors are threatened by or experience hunger. Meals on Wheels America, a network of 5,000 community-based programs that feeds more than 2 million older Americans each year, has been a successful public-private partnership for more than 50 years. The Urban Institute estimates that the number of seniors in the US will more than double over the next 40 years. The Older Americans Act (OAA) nutrition program, which supports the health and well-being of seniors via nutrition services, is the network's primary source of federal funding, covering 37% of what it takes to serve more than 250m meals each year. The exact mix of local, state, federal and private funding of Meals on Wheels' thousands of on-the-ground community programs varies from provider to provider. Under the orders of the Elon Musk-led unofficial 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) and Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, 20,000 people at HHS have lost their jobs in recent weeks, including at least 40% of the staff at the Administration for Community Living, which coordinates federal policy on aging and disability. Since many of those staffers helped fulfill critical functions to serving older Americans through the OAA, some Meals on Wheels programs are worried about funding disbursements, reporting data and the loss of institutional knowledge and expertise. HHS has said it will reorganize the ACL into other HHS agencies, although how that would happen is unclear. The co-chairs of the Disability and Aging Collaborative, composed of 62 member organizations that focus in part on aging and disability, said in a recent statement: 'This disruptive change threatens to increase rates of institutionalization, homelessness and long-lasting economic hardships.' Since experiencing multiple strokes that left her cognitively impaired and at risk for falls, Dierdre Mayes has relied on Meals on Wheels Yolo County to deliver meals that are the 64-year-old's primary source of nutrition. 'I'm really thriving off of the meals I get,' said Mayes, a Woodland, California, resident who also receives $20 a month in food stamps, which she uses to purchase cases of water. 'The best part about it is I don't have to go anywhere to get them.' For Mayes and other homebound older Americans, the program is a lifeline. The uncertainty around Meals on Wheels' future is causing stress for seniors who are worried about how federal cuts, layoffs and tariffs will impact their daily deliveries. The non-profit FeedMore WNY, which serves homebound older adults in New York's Eerie and Niagara counties, said they've been hearing from fearful older clients as word of other recent cuts circulated in the news. Catherine Shick, the public relations manager for FeedMore WNY, said they served 4,775 unique Meals on Wheels clients last year and that demand for their feeding programs increased by 16% from 2023 to 2024, a trend they expect to continue. 'Any cut to any funding has a direct impact on the individuals who rely on us for food assistance and any cuts are coming at a time when we know that food insecurity is on the rise,' she said. 'We need the continued support of all levels of government, as well as the community, to be able to fulfill our mission.' In addition to delivering healthy, nutritious food, Meals on Wheels drivers, who are primarily volunteers, provide a host of other valuable services: they can look for signs of cognitive or other health changes. They can also address safety hazards in the home or provide pet support services, as well as offer crucial social connections since drivers are often the only person a senior may see in a given day or week. Deliveries have been shown to help keep seniors healthy and in their own homes and communities and out of costly institutional settings. Republicans in the House and Senate have said their goal is to reduce federal spending, but experts say cutting programs that help fund organizations such as Meals on Wheels would instead increase federal spending for healthcare and long-term care expenses for older Americans. 'If people can't stay in their own homes, they're going to be 'high flyers' in hospitals and admitted prematurely into nursing homes,' said Hollander, 'all of which cost taxpayers billions of dollars annually versus providing Meals on Wheels for one year to a senior for the same cost of being in the hospital for one day or 10 days in a nursing home.' Experts agree that even before the cuts, Meals on Wheels America has been underfunded. Advocates and researchers say OAA hasn't kept up with the rapid growth of the senior population, rising food costs or inflation. One in three local programs already have waiting lists with many programs already feeling stretched to their limits. For more than 60% of Meals on Wheels providers across the country, federal funding represents half or more of their total revenue, underscoring the serious damage that could be done if cuts or policy changes are made in any capacity. 'It feels like a continuous slew of attacks on the programs that seniors rely on to be safe, independent and healthy in their own homes,' said Jorwic of Caring Across Generations. 'Everything from cuts to Meals on Wheels to cuts to Medicaid, all these things that are being proposed and actively worked on being implemented, are a real threat to the security of aging Americans.'
