Medicaid Makes Community Living Possible for People with Intellectual, Developmental Disabilities

Manatt Health Senior Advisor and Managing Director wrote an article for Fierce Healthcare on the benefits of Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) and how the continuation of such programs can help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) live and fully participate in community life.

The authors explained how all 50 states and the District of Columbia have HCBS programs that allow individuals with I/DD to live in their communities while avoiding more restrictive settings that they no longer want or need. They also described how proposed cuts to federal Medicaid spending could harm these programs and negatively impact the people and caregivers that rely on these services and support systems. “Loss of services and support systems will result in the rollback of advancements made around human and civil rights for people with I/DD,” the authors wrote. “These advances have made it possible for full inclusion of people with disabilities in all service systems and communities.”

Read the full article .