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February 4, 2026
Medicaid helps millions of people with disabilities access health care and daily supports. Proposed funding cuts could change who bears the cost—and how services are delivered.
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Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will slash more than a trillion dollars in federal spending from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program by 2034. Judy Woodruff examines what those cuts could mean for home and community care providers who serve adults with special needs. It's part of her series, Disability Reframed.
View the transcript of the story.
Medicaid — A federal health insurance program for children, the elderly, pregnant women, people who are disabled of any age and people with low incomes based on strict guidelines. Medicaid currently enrolls almost 77 million people in the U.S., or 1 in 5 Americans.
Media literacy: The story opens with anchor Amna Nawaz discussing how President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, passed by Congress, will slash more than one trillion dollars in federal spending from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by 2034. In a later clip, we hear Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS) say, "there are no cuts to Medicaid," something the Trump administration has said repeatedly.
Learn more about what it is like to live with a disability in the United States. Choose another story in the Disability Reframed series to watch with a friend, family member or classmate. Why did you choose that particular story? What were your takeaways?
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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
