My name is Jimmy Tucker. I have a learning disability, and I am on the autism spectrum. In school and in adult life, I never felt like I fit in. I’ve always felt different, and that made things harder for me. But Medicaid-funded programs have helped me find my way. These are the supports I rely on every day. Without them, I’d be lost.
Now, those supports are in danger.
The budget being proposed by Republicans in Congress would cut $880 billion from Medicaid. When I first heard about it, I felt terrified and angry. I was faced with the reality of losing services that helped me live my life. I wanted to cry—not just for me, but for my friends, my peers, my disability community, and seniors, too. We all depend on Medicaid.
If I lost these services, I would be heartbroken. I wouldn’t be able to move forward with my goals and my personal growth. I would feel like I’m going backward, with no direction or hope. I know I would get depressed. These services are that important.
More than 6.9 million New Yorkers, including 130,955 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), depend on Medicaid services to meet basic needs.
Some lawmakers say they want to protect people with disabilities, but then they add things like work requirements or punish states over immigration. Even if they don’t say it out loud, these kinds of changes would still hurt people like me. They have real consequences.
No matter how they say it, cuts to Medicaid mean cuts to our lives.
Medicaid is not just healthcare. It is a lifeline. It pays for the home and community-based services (HCBS) that help people like me live in our communities, not locked away in institutions. I get services like community habilitation, therapy, social and skills groups, and art day habilitation. Every single one of these is paid for by Medicaid.
Community habilitation taught me how to take the train and travel independently. Socializing and skills groups taught me how to make friends, be more outgoing, and come out of my comfort zone. These services made my life better.
The people who support me, direct support professionals, get paid through Medicaid, too. If Medicaid is cut, they’ll be paid even less, and the job will be even harder. That means more people will leave the job, and there will be fewer staff. That can lead to burnout, neglect, or worse.
People without money or family support have no other options. These services are not extra. They are necessary. If Medicaid is taken away, many people with I/DD could end up homeless or stuck in institutions. That is not the future I want.
The disability community is strong. We have come a long way. People with disabilities were treated as less than others, but they marched and protested in the 1970s and 1980s. That led to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. That law gave us more rights, more access, and a better life.
We are still fighting for that life today.
Without Medicaid, we will be pushed out of our communities and left behind. That is not right.
New York’s elected leaders need to reject this budget proposal. This isn’t just about numbers on a page. For people like me, this is about our lives.
Please don’t take away our hope.
Please don’t take away our lives.
Please don’t take away our future.
Jimmy Tucker is a passionate self-advocate with YAI, where he empowers people with disabilities to build essential life skills and live more independently. He is also a visual artist based in New York City’s Chinatown who creates powerful superhero portraits that capture everyday challenges and triumphs of real life. His work has been exhibited at prestigious venues, including the Museum of Modern Art, Allouche Gallery, Sotheby’s Gallery, and Summertime Gallery in Brooklyn.
