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English 123: Composition 2

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Module 5-6 Assignment 2 Milestone 1: Draft

Have we decided that we are once again comfortable with institutionalizing our

disabled, after fighting so hard to shut down institutions? Have we forgotten how passionate

we were about our beliefs? Those that were instrumental in the closure of these centers

convinced us that they not only damaged their residents, but also to society as a whole. The

government's budget cuts will continue to affect the care and support of mentally and

physically disabled. President Trump wants to restructure how Medicaid is funded. This

affects people with disabilities and puts them at risk of losing much needed services, now and

into the near future. Without the necessary funding, this proposal could initiate a movement

that encourages a move back to institutions in order to once again gain access to these

services. Furthermore, many of those making careers as caregivers will end up losing their

jobs. The government's proposed budget cuts will severely affect our mentally and physically

disabled because health care costs will continue to rise as services become unavailable and

force many to lose their jobs, states are already being negatively impacted by these effects

through loss of needed funds, and ultimately leading to a future filled with unethical and

inhumane institutions.

As Medicaid funding decreases, health care costs will continue to rise and

services will steadily become unavailable and those providing these services will lose the

jobs. In his article titled “Cuts In Texas Medicaid Hit Rural Kids With Disabilities Especially

Hard,“ renowned NPR reporter Wade Goodwyn argues that Medicaid budget cuts and re-

allocations are already hurting those who take advantage of provided services and the

consequences will only continue to decrease the quality of life for our nation’s disabled. By

introducing readers to a child and family currently at risk to lose services, he uses a real-life
Student Name Student 2
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example of how this loss of funding directly impacts a disabled child's developmental growth,

her family, her caregivers, and her community. This source is doing a good job of supporting

its argument because it’s easy to read, understandable, and provides strong examples. It also

humanizes the topic by introducing its readers to a child and her family who are impacted

negatively by the Medicaid budget cuts. His article also exposes how the consequences from

these budget cuts and re-allocations will only continue to decrease the quality of life for our

nation's disabled. It also shows that centers who employ the caregivers who provide these

services are already beginning to close their doors. The industry already suffers from a lack

of adequate revenue when compared to time and effort required to support the disabled,

making it hard for caregivers to support their own families. Increased cuts will lead to a

decrease in pay, further stressing the employee, and which creates a job-related environment

of high stress and limited motivation.

States already being affected by multi-million budget cuts are currently seeing the

impact of losing funding for their children with special needs, particularly in their rural

communities. Julian Pecquet, a journalist with experience as a congressional correspondent,

argues that cutting the government’s Medicaid budget will save $810 billion dollars and it

can be done effectively over a period of 10 years, in his article titled “Ryan budget cuts

Medicaid by $810 billion: plan would give states more flexibility to run program as they see

fit.” While the article is counter-arguing the main claim, it is also stating that the budget cut

will give states more flexibility to uniquely run individual programs and will protect low-

income seniors. The article does offer a compelling counter-argument, but also stresses that

while funding will decrease the healthcare costs will keep going up. Although credible and

persuasive, Pecquet's article is not doing a good job of supporting its arguments because it’s
Student Name Student 3
English 123: Composition 2
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only considering a fraction of Medicaid recipients and doesn’t elaborate enough on what the

future will look like. However, he very clearly shows how massive the amount of money

proposed being taken from Medicaid recipients is.

A likely very, near-future consequence of cutting Medicaid funding could lead to

re-institutionalizing our disabled, something that we once decided was unethical, inhumane,

and fought so hard to end. In her article titled “Of Technological Targets and Budgetary

Bombs,” social work educator and researcher Sharon Keigher argues that proposed Medicaid

budget cuts will disproportionately impact disabled recipients because programs that are

already in place are made up of a variety of services that go hand in hand. She uses quotes

from credible sources, relevant examples, data, and statistics to support her argument.

Keigher's article does a good job of supporting its arguments because it tells of how the

proposed Medicaid budget cuts will not only be detrimental to current and future recipients

but to the national as a whole. It also addresses the facts behind proposed budget cuts and

provides insight into potential future consequences.

The main counter-argument to this problem is by decreasing the funding typically

allocated to those with disabilities, the government is able to save billions in expenses, it will

allow for the creation of individualized care plans. The rebuttal to this line of thinking is that

the government is looking to base their budget cuts on what was needed in previous years.

With the disabled population on the rise, and will continue to rise, how can we accurately

determine necessary funding when we're calculating those amounts from years where the

financial support wasn't adequately satisfying the needs at that time. Add to the fact that our

government is only considering this funding based on a fraction of those being supported by

Medicaid, and without keeping potential future outlooks in mind. Finally, there haven't been
Student Name Student 4
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any guidelines put into place that would distinguish one disability from another that would

allow for effective individual treatment plan.

Early intervention programs and services are closing their doors and losing their

staff because they aren't able to pay employees, and because of this the disabled are suffering.

This suffering that will only continue for a lifetime both for the child and the community

because early intervention is necessary for development, especially for those with disabilities.

Health care costs will continue to rise as services become unavailable and force many to lose

their jobs. Although the idea of budget cuts might sound good at first and most states might

be able to handle it for the first several years, it's not really a sound plan because basing

future funding on past spending only increases risk and promises poor quality of life for those

with disabilities. Raising awareness is likely to face challenges due to this issue having many

components, which leads to varying degrees of understanding (or none at all) from the public.

An effective financial plan can be created that will not only allow proper funding for the

mentally and physically disabled, but also limit attrition in the direct care workplace by

keeping an eye on future and the needs of the growth of the industry, factor in the experiences

from states already faced with the consequences of limited funding, and eliminate the need

for institutions where we house those with disabilities.

Student Name Student 5
English 123: Composition 2
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References

Goodwyn, W. (2016, November 3). Cuts In Texas Medicaid Hit Rural Kids With Disabilities
Especially Hard. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/ 2016/
11/03/500420007/texas-medicaid-cuts-hit-rural-disabled-kids-especially-hard4

Keigher, S. (1995). Of Technological Targets and Budgetary Bombs: The Dangers of

Depersonalized Budgetary Warfare. Health & Social Work, 20(4), 300-300. 6p.
Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com
/login.aspx? direct=true&db=edb&AN=9510271660&site=eds-live&scope=site

Pecquet, J. (2012). Ryan budget cuts Medicaid by $810 billion: plan would give states more
flexibility to run program as they see fit. The Hill. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tru
e&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.284937953&site=eds-live&scope=site