Comments
WELLNESS - I recently read over my son’s last report card and was overwhelmed with pride.
It showed how far he’s come — progress that, not long ago, felt out of reach. I made mental notes of the areas where we still need to do some work, but mostly I just sat with the joy of seeing comments like “participates well in class” and “a pleasure to have in class.”
A few years ago, those kinds of remarks seemed impossible.
My son is on the autism spectrum. He’s bright, curious, and kind, but he faces challenges in areas that come more naturally to his peers — things like socializing, staying focused, and following multi-step directions.
To support his growth, our family relies on services made accessible through Medicaid. Without it, we couldn’t afford the therapies and supports that have made such a profound difference in his life.
One of the most transformative resources we’ve accessed through Medicaid is applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. Before my son began this program, he had a hard time sitting still, struggled with completing even small tasks, and rarely interacted meaningfully with others. The world often overwhelmed him, and those feelings showed up as frustration or withdrawal.
Our family was doing everything we could to support him, but we needed help. Medicaid made that possible.
The ABA therapy was intensive and, at times, exhausting — but it worked. Over time, we watched our son develop new skills, regulate his emotions, and engage with the world in a completely new way.
By the time the program ended, we had a different child. Not in that he changed who he was — but because he could finally show the world the amazing person he had always been. He could carry on a conversation, initiate play with peers, connect with adults, and begin building friendships.
Today, thanks to Medicaid, he continues to receive occupational therapy and speech therapy at school. These services help him strengthen motor skills, improve communication, and better navigate daily life. He also receives support through his Individualized Education Plan (IEP), ensuring he has the accommodations he needs to succeed. Because of this, my son is not just surviving — he is thriving.
But now, all of this is under threat.
Millions of families like mine could lose Medicaid because the Trump-GOP budget — the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — strips away the very support that children like my son depend on, all to finance tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. It’s hard to describe the fear that takes hold when you realize that your child’s future has been jeopardized with the stroke of a pen.
Some 37 million children — roughly half of kids in the United States — rely on Medicaid for health care, therapies, and other essential services. For kids with disabilities, Medicaid is often the only option for accessing the support they need. Without it, families face impossible choices — foregoing therapies, draining savings, or going without care altogether.
What’s even more heartbreaking is the callousness with which some elected officials treat this issue. Watching Republican Senators dance to a disco song as they celebrated the passage of this harmful bill made me physically ill. While they partied, families across the country worried about how to care for their children, afford therapy, or keep a roof over their heads.
This isn’t political for me — it’s personal. My child is not a budget line item. He is a human being who deserves the chance to live a full and meaningful life. Every child does.
Medicaid has been a lifeline for us, and it should be protected, not gutted. No parent should have to fight this hard for basic support, and no child should have their future jeopardized by politics.
The promise of America is an opportunity for all. That promise cannot be fulfilled if we dismantle the very systems that allow families like mine to survive — let alone thrive — simply to cut taxes for the wealthy.
We need to do better. We must do better.
(Kali Daugherty serves on the Parent Advisory Board of the Automatic Benefits for Children Coalition and is a RESULTS Expert on Poverty. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.)
