Don’t Cut Our Lifeline!

Don't Cut Our Lifeline! started as a national movement at The Arc US to protect federal Medicaid benefits. With the recent budget proposals from the Department of Social and Health Services and from the Health Care Authority that target most Medicaid services to fill the budget deficit, The Arc of Washington State is extending the Don't Cut Our Lifeline! campaign locally.

The Coleman Institute on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Colorado publishes information on revenue, spending, and programmatic trends for intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) services, find Washington State's information at https://www.cu.edu/ColemanInstitute/stateofthestates/Washington.pdf

Join the conversation on Facebook, "Like" the Don't Cut Our Lifeline! page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-Cut-Our-Lifeline/228190313901478

Highlights of the Don't Cut Our Lifeline Rally and Candlelight Vigil on November 28, 2011:

Close to a thousand self advocates, parents and providers showed up to peacefully protest the proposed cuts to Medicaid services and to show support for a revenue package. To learn more about the cuts being proposed, check out The Arc of Washington State's budget side-by-side by clicking here.

There was moving testimony from a wide variety of speakers; self advocates sharing their fears of cuts to medication and personal care, parents pouring out their need for respite and other waiver services so that they can continue caring for their child at home and not have to resort to out-of-home placement; providers sharing how low wages are already and that proposed cuts would leave home care providers making less than minimum wage, that cutting hours or eliminating services would put many people with disabilities out of work or leave them homeless and providers who would lose their jobs with no clients to care for.

Watch the Olympia Insider video of the events by clicking here.

Disability Rights Washington photographed a number of advocates at the rally and has posted them on a Facebook page or check out our Shutterfly album.