Letter by Warren mom with special needs son has Medicaid plea read on Capitol Hill

Warren mom of Down syndrome son has Medicaid plea against cuts read on Capitol Hill

A Warren mother of a 6-year-old special needs adopted son, wrote about the proposed cuts, calling them a death sentence in a letter to lawmakers.

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Lawmakers in Washington are locked in a high-stakes battle over how to deliver on President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative priorities.

The plan would find $5 trillion in tax breaks with at least $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and clean energy programs.

A Warren mother of a 6-year-old special needs adopted son, wrote about the proposed cuts, calling them a death sentence in a letter to lawmakers.

Taylor Johnson's son George has Down syndrome, and her letter was read aloud on Capitol Hill.

"We adopted him at 3 weeks old. Losing Medicaid would cripple our family, absolutely destroy us," Johnson wrote in a letter read by Democrat US Rep. Debbie Dingell.

Johnson not only fears for her family but for so many others that rely on Medicaid.

"To cut it would not only affect the quality of life of the most vulnerable people in our country, but people will die without it," Johnson said.

George sees six to seven specialists a year. He has braces on his ankles, and sees a speech therapist.

Johnson and her husband both work full-time and have insurance through the marketplace. But if Medicaid were cut, it wouldn’t be enough.

"It would be a big, scary threat," she said.

"'If we’re not serving our most vulnerable children what are we even doing as a country, you’re leaving families with no options and putting us in an impossible position,'" Dingell said, reading the letter. "'It’s so obvious that they don’t care about disabled people or poor people.'"

Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw also weighed in at the hearing.

"I have a young daughter and if she was on Medicaid and we were at risk of taking that away from her, I would share that fear," he said. "The problem with that narrative is that there’s no reason to have that fear."

Republicans say this massive legislative package, meant to deliver trillions in tax breaks cuts the fat, not services to people who need them.

"I am sorry that so many people in the media and on the left have lied to you about what’s in this bill," Crenshaw said. "George you have nothing to worry about, your Medicaid is not going anywhere."

The Congressional Budget Office, which is nonpartisan, reported at least 7.6 million fewer people would have health insurance with reductions to Medicaid and likely more with additional changes to the Affordable Care Act.

The Source: Information from the committee hearing on Capitol Hill was used in this report as well as an interview with Taylor Johnson.