News · Press Release

Arizonans Who Rely on Medicaid Caregiving Program Are Bracing For Ciscomani’s Cuts

Ciscomani constituent: “I saw him rejoicing after the bill passed, and I thought he didn’t listen, he didn’t care”
Arizonans are terrified that Juan Ciscomani’s Medicaid cuts will tear families apart – with some fearing that people could be “shuffled off into an institution” if a key caregiving program loses its Medicaid funding.
A concerned parent whose family relies on the program contacted Ciscomani, but felt ignored:

“I saw him rejoicing after the bill passed,” she said. “And I thought he didn’t listen. He didn’t care what we needed.”


EVERGREEN REMINDER: Ciscomani repeatedly promised he “cannot and will not” vote to cut Medicaid, then voted for the largest Medicaid cuts in history – jeopardizing health care for thousands of his own constituents.

Read the article for yourself…

Arizona Public Media: How Medicaid cuts are causing uncertainty for Arizona families who rely on caregiving programs

  • Gonzalez is more than a caregiver. She’s become part of the family and her job is funded through Medicaid’s Home and Community Based Services program, or HCBS. It’s what allows Alexa to live at home, with the people who love her, instead of being placed in an institution.
  • Significant Medicaid cuts… could hinder or even reverse HCBS expansion efforts. It is estimated that Medicaid funding would be reduced by more than $1 trillion over 10 years.
  • If HCBS loses federal funding, states like Arizona could be forced to reduce or eliminate services. That could mean the end of paid caregiving for families like the Fosters.
  • Jon Meyers, executive director of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, said the impact of the proposed cuts could be devastating — especially in Arizona.
  • “We don’t have the $2 billion it would take to replace that federal funding,” Meyers said. “We are going to see people with severe disabilities without any form of service, without support to meet the needs of daily life.”
  • Brandy Foster said she reached out to her congressman, Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., urging him to oppose the proposed budget.
  • “I saw him rejoicing after the bill passed,” she said. “And I thought he didn’t listen. He didn’t care what we needed.”
  • Foster and other advocates are fearful of what may come with what’s at stake if HCBS is downsized or goes away.
  • “Most people with disabilities would be shuffled off into an institution,” she said. “And those institutions are rife with abuse because people are vulnerable there.”

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