WASHINGTON – More than 100,000 people in Washington face daily challenges with tasks like moving around the house or preparing meals. At-home nursing services aim to assist seniors and disabled individuals, but potential Medicaid cuts could impact this support.
Lisa LaFountaine, an at-home nurse, expressed concerns over these proposed cuts by Congress as part of President Trump’s tax break bill. “We’re talking about children, adults, veterans, seniors. I mean, this is for everybody. There is nothing to take away from there. You take a little bit. And that’s already too much,” LaFountaine said.
LaFountaine, like many in the healthcare industry, is worried about the impact of cutting Medicaid funding. She highlighted the potential effects on people without family support. “I feel like the big impact is going to be for those that don’t have family to care for them. So once Medicaid goes away, then what happens to them? I mean, they don’t have someone to come and check on them consistently,” she stated.
House Republicans from the Freedom Caucus argue the cuts are necessary to eliminate wasteful spending. They recently posted on X, saying, “Medicaid spending has skyrocketed over the last 5 years alone,” due to “Democrats loading able-bodied adults onto Medicaid by reimbursing their care at higher rates than its original vulnerable population.”
LaFountaine urged lawmakers to reconsider, emphasizing the importance of caring for those in need. “No one asks for disabilities. You know, the children born with disabilities that need care in homes that can’t attend school on a regular, that need 24-hour care or even, you know, you’re dying grandmother, that’s, you know, just because of age, can’t take care of herself anymore I mean, nobody asks for that. It’s not fair. And it’s it’s our job and our duty and, you know, to take care of them. They’ve done it for us. It’s you know, it’s a circle. It’s a circle of life. It needs to go on,” she said.
President Trump has given Congress until Memorial Day later this month to pass the tax break bill.
