Medicaid crucial to New Jerseyans like me, autism advocate tells lawmakers
For 28-year-old William Aronow, federal Medicaid cuts proposed by Republicans in Congress are more than a budget concern. Any reduction, he told New Jersey lawmakers, threatens his ability to advocate for himself and others with autism.
Accompanied by his mother and two health aides, and communicating via iPad, Aronow asked the Assembly Budget Committee to help preserve the program that covers medical care for people with low incomes.
“We live in the community, but we need help,” Aronow, from Washington Township in Bergen County, said at a March 19 legislative hearing on Governor Phil Murphy’s $58.1 billion budget. “With aides, we are able.”
About one in five New Jerseyans use Medicaid services, with the state and federal government sharing the $24 billion cost. Over his two terms, Murphy, a Democrat, has increased the state’s share of funding for Medicaid programs to expand access in order to enroll children regardless of immigration status, enable frail elderly people to stay in their homes rather than nursing facilities, and reimburse health providers at higher rates.
Last month, Republicans in Congress introduced a resolution to cut Medicaid by $880 billion, a move that New Jersey Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio has warned could cost New Jersey $10 billion.
That could jeopardize programs like the Medicaid Community Care Program, a state initiative for adults with developmental disabilities that recently enrolled Aronow in its day program.
Aronow knows hardship beyond his autism. He lost his father in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Richard Aronow, deputy legal department chief of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was at work when the plane struck the World Trade Center.
Aronow’s mother, Laura Weinberg, said the funding is crucial to their quality of life. Though her son was considered high priority for community services, he was on a years-long waitlist of 8,000 people, she said. Potential federal Medicaid cuts, she said, have left her feeling blindsided.
“I’m trying to get support so that I’m not [working] seven mornings a week for forever, and once I finally got that extra support … I felt like the rug got pulled out from under me,” Weinberg told NJ State House News Service in an interview.
Aronow, who is non-verbal, has been lobbying for disability rights for years locally and nationally. Now that he is receiving care, he said, he is passionate about ensuring that services are available for those who need it. His day program and others like it offer a social network, recreation, job training and help with skills such as grocery shopping and bill paying.
“Please keep that community-based support at current funding levels,” Aronow told lawmakers. “My friends depend on these awesome people.”
The benefits go beyond the individuals who receive services and their families, he said. Programs like his help society to interact with people who may communicate differently.
“Hospitals think we are high, or deaf, or we will not understand them,” he said. His program, he said, “has trained doctors and police on how to treat us and communicate with us.”
This article was written by Madison Miller courtesy of NJ State House News Service
