Disability / Healthcare News October 4, 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.
Americans Aren’t Buying Trump’s Shutdown Blame Game: Early polls show that more blame Trump and Republicans—and for good reason. By Julianne McShane on October 2, 2025 at Mother Jones
"The White House’s claims, of course, are not accurate. Undocumented immigrants are already mostly ineligible for federal health care, and Democrats are seeking to restore access to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for documented immigrants, including refugees and people granted asylum. The Republican spending bill passed this summer contains the Medicaid cuts, while the ACA subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year under the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022. Yet, Republicans ranging from Trump, to Vice President JD Vance, to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) have made the claim that Democrats shut down the government over efforts to provide health care to undocumented people."
Health Insurance Premium Costs Will More Than Double for Millions of Americans Unless Congress Acts: If enhanced tax credits expire, net premiums for those receiving financial assistance to purchase health insurance would rise 136 percent on average in 2026. By Emily Gee on September 29, 2025 at the Center for American Progress
"However, the enhanced level of financial support that has been in place since 2021 will expire at the end of this year, and Congress passed up multiple opportunities to extend it as part of the Big Beautiful Bill signed into law in July. Unless Congress approves legislation on the enhanced subsidies, millions of Americans will face higher costs as a result. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that about 4 million more Americans will be uninsured by 2034 if enhanced PTCs are not renewed."
US will not enforce Biden wheelchair passenger protection rule By David Shepardson on September 29, 2025 at Reuters
"USDOT said in a filing it is writing a new rule and will not enforce the requirements imposing airline liability for mishandled wheelchairs or a requirement for airlines to reimburse passengers using wheelchairs the difference between a fare on a flight taken and the fare the passenger would have paid on a flight if their wheelchair could have fit in the cabin or cargo compartment of a different aircraft."
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