Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Medicaid cuts could impact thousands of Utahns with disabilities.
- The program provides essential services, enabling individuals who need assistance to live at home.
- Sen. John Curtis offers assurance for those in need.
SALT LAKE CITY — Adam Persels, 25, loves to listen to the Grateful Dead and play board games with his family in Salt Lake City. He's also among thousands of Utahns receiving health care and assistance through a program many fear could shrink or disappear if Congress makes steep cuts to Medicaid.
"What honestly goes through my mind is, what do we do?" said Tina Persels, Adam Persels' mother and caregiver.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver provides medical supplies for the 25-year-old Persels, as well as 10 hours of a care a week from a skilled nurse. This helps make it possible for him to live at home, instead of a facility away from his family and community, his mother said.
The program helps many more Utahns with disabilities complete daily tasks so they can go to work, attend school or a day program, or get out and about, said Nate Crippes, with the nonprofit Disability Law Center in Salt Lake City.
Crippes said he's concerned lawmakers who want to slash spending are more focused on the cost of Medicaid than the benefits.
"It might cost a lot of money, but it is so important," Crippes said.
Thousands of Utahns receive services through Utah's home and community-based waivers, with enrollment topping more than 10,000, according to figures provided by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Specific programs range from serving those with intellectual disabilities to people with brain injuries and older Utahns.
In response to questions from KSL about the future of Medicaid and how reduced funding would affect Utahns with disabilities, Sen. John Curtis told KSL he understands why many are stressed but wants to reassure them.
"I don't know anyone who wants to take away a safety net from those in our country who truly need it — and that includes individuals with disabilities," Curtis said in a statement. "We're not talking about seniors, children, pregnant women, single parents, or people with disabilities. That's not the conversation."
A staffer with Sen. Mike Lee's office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Adam Persels, who was born at 28 weeks gestation, uses tubes to eat and breathe and doesn't speak aloud. He has cerebral palsy, profound autism, and a lifelong stubborn streak that demonstrates his independence, Tina Persels said.
On a recent weekday, he showed off his collection of sunglasses to visitors and played Connect Four with his mother, winning a game easily before heading off to take a nap.
If cuts to Medicaid end up affecting the Persels family directly, "I don't know if my husband and I are sure what we will do," Tina Persels said. "We know that we have the blessing and the responsibility of taking care of him, and that's what we will try to do."
