Disability / Health News - July 19, 2025
Editor's Note: The disability community is increasingly preferring to use identity-first language (disabled person) in place of person-first language (person with a disability). This is because many in the community view disability as being a core component of identity, much like race and gender. Some members of the community, such as people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, still prefer person-first language. Both should be considered valid. Articles shared in this newsletter may contain one or the other (or both) depending on the author's preference, and if they themselves have a disability.
Cost of Obamacare expected to soar as subsidies expire and insurers hike premiums by Berkeley Lovelace Jr. on July 18, 2025 at NBC News
"People who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act could soon see their monthly premiums sharply increase as subsidies expire and insurers propose a major premium hike for 2026. Insurers that offer plans through the ACA are planning an average premium increase of 15% for 2026 — the largest increase in seven years, according to an analysis published Friday from KFF, a health policy research group. The analysis is based on filings from more than 100 insurers in 19 states and Washington, D.C."
Dr. Oz Tells Americans Who Are Concerned About Medicaid Cuts to Eat Less Cake by Chris Walker on July 14, 2025 at Truth Out
"Mehmet Oz, the daytime television personality-turned-administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services within the Trump administration, dismissed Americans’ concerns about huge cuts to Medicaid during an interview on Fox Business on Monday. Oz’s primary advice to viewers was to eat healthier foods and exercise more — tips that likely offer little comfort to millions of Medicaid recipients who rely on the program for vital health care coverage."
Labor Department Moves to End Disability Hiring Goal for Federal Contractors by Julia Métraux on July 17, 2025 at Mother Jones
"On July 1, the Department of Labor under Lori Chavez-DeRemer introduced a proposed rule that would both end the disability hiring goal for federal contractors and the practice of collecting information about it—supposedly on the basis that those practices violate Americans with Disabilities Act “restrictions on pre-conditional job offer disability inquiries. Anupa Iyer Geevarghese, who was the deputy director of policy in the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs until January, disagrees with the Trump Labor Department’s assessment, calling the move “tragic.” “Instead of expanding opportunities for people with disabilities, we’re rescinding them,” she said."
Attacks on the U.S. Innovation Ecosystem Are an Attack on a Wellspring of American Prosperity by Neera Tanden, Ryan Mulholland and Adam Conner on July 17, 2025 at the Center for American Progress
"The United States’ unparalleled science and technology advantage, developed in large part through federally funded research and development (R&D); world-class colleges and universities; and its openness to the best and brightest from anywhere created not just the technologies that define the modern world but also many of the world’s most successful companies. Now, the Trump administration is dismantling America’s science and innovation lead. The impacts will be felt for decades."