吃瓜直播

WASHINGTON 鈥� Ahead of the markup today in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the 吃瓜直播 is urging members of the committee to oppose devastating cuts to Medicaid proposed in the recently released reconciliation bill. Medicaid is a life-saving program that affords dignity and liberty to people all across this country. It keeps millions of disabled people in their homes, instead of institutions. It provides health care services to kids in schools, people recovering from substance use disorder, and low-income and rural communities. Deirdre Schifeling, 吃瓜直播 chief political and advocacy officer, issued the following statement ahead of the markup: 鈥淢ake no mistake: This bill is deeply harmful and does nothing to protect vulnerable communities; it does just the opposite. It means that millions of people won鈥檛 be able to access their medication, see their doctor, or receive essential treatment. It would 鈥榙efund鈥� Planned Parenthood, denying people birth control, cancer and STI screenings, and other preventive care. It鈥檚 no exaggeration to say that lives will be lost, and so many more will suffer if these draconian and destructive cuts to Medicaid aren鈥檛 stopped. 鈥淢edicaid has long been an effective and popular program. But this bill would wreak havoc on the very communities who most need support. Under the bill, people could lose their health care because their hours at work were cut, or they forgot to fill out a form. Members of the committee must reject these harmful cuts.鈥� The 吃瓜直播 joined dozens of disability and workers鈥� rights organizations last week in a 24-hour vigil calling on members of Congress to vote no on any cuts to Medicaid. Nearly 30,000 people have also sent messages to their members of Congress through the 吃瓜直播 demanding their representatives abandon attempts to cut Medicaid.

WASHINGTON 鈥� The 吃瓜直播, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), and 80 other disability rights, civil rights, and public health organizations sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. today raising significant concerns with the National Institutes of Health鈥檚 (NIH) proposal to create a national autism 鈥渞egistry.鈥� The registry was detailed during an April 21 presentation by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, which he described as a 鈥渞eal-world data platform鈥� for 鈥渄eveloping national disease registries, including a new one for autism.鈥� The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has since claimed it is not creating an 鈥渁utism registry,鈥� but the department has failed to engage with autistic people and advocates, exacerbating the lack of clarity. 鈥淚nstead of engaging with the communities this proposal would impact most, federal health agencies have taken every opportunity to shut disabled and autistic people out of the conversation, leaving unanswered questions, a sense of alarm, and deepening mistrust,鈥� said Vania Leveille, 吃瓜直播 senior legislative counsel. 鈥淭rust in federal health data requires affirmative, good faith engagement with autistic people, appropriate safeguards for privacy, and ensuring any proposal helps 鈥� not hurts 鈥� the communities impacted.鈥� The letter outlines the many unanswered questions left by NIH鈥檚 data platform proposal, including what data it will collect, what sources it will rely on, how it will anonymize and secure the data. It also highlights the increased risk of surveillance, stigmatization, and marginalization from data collection, particularly for disabled people 鈥� who have a long and troubled history with government efforts to find and track disability for the purpose of eliminating it. 鈥淚t鈥檚 no secret that this proposal has created a lot of fear and confusion in the autistic community.鈥� said Colin Killick, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. 鈥淲e continue to advocate and support research into autism that autistic people want conducted, but it is critical that autistic people鈥檚 private data not be shared without our consent. We hope the administration answers our questions to shine light on how autistic people and our rights will be protected.鈥� The letter also establishes three key steps NIH and HHS must take to establish trust in its proposed data platform: Meaningful communication with autistic people and advocates; fundamental privacy safeguards to prevent misuse and abuse; and ensuring the data platform advances the well-being of autistic people, people with disabilities, and the public health while minimizing potential harms. The letter is here: /documents/letter-to-hhs-secretary-robert-f-kennedy-jr-on-concerns-with-proposed-autism-registry

PHILADELPHIA 鈥� The 吃瓜直播, the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, and the 吃瓜直播 of Pennsylvania have filed their opening brief in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to reverse the dismissal of a case challenging the deprival of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The groups represent Jonathan DiFraia, who was forced to stop taking life-saving medication while he was incarcerated because he received two disciplinary charges. The deprival was not based on DiFraia鈥檚 medical needs, but entirely on a non-medical rationale. As a result, DiFraia suffered painful withdrawal symptoms and his mental and physical health deteriorated. Studies show that people who are forcibly taken off of their MOUD face much higher risks of relapse, overdose, and death. 鈥淚 was locked up because I have a chronic disease, and they refused to provide me with treatment because they don鈥檛 understand drug addiction. I am terrified that the same thing could happen to me again, and I鈥檒l be forced to go without treatment,鈥� said Mr. DiFraia. After being taken off of his MOUD, DiFraia asked for his medication to be reinstated. After the request was denied, he sued, asking a federal district court to enforce his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Eighth Amendment. His complaint was dismissed by the trial court, but as the 吃瓜直播 and partners argue in the brief, the court erred in that decision. 鈥淢edication for opioid use disorder is essential and lifesaving. It would be unimaginable for a person with diabetes to be forcibly removed from their insulin treatment, yet that is exactly what happened to Mr. DiFraia. Medications for opioid use disorder need to be available to everyone who needs them鈥攂oth inside jails and prisons, and in the community,鈥� said Joseph Longley, staff attorney with the 吃瓜直播 Disability Rights Program. The brief argues that DiFraia properly lodged allegations against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for violating his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yet the district court did not address the substance of DiFraia鈥檚 claims, instead relying on the fact that he had only named the defendants in their individual capacities rather than their official capacities. 鈥淔ar too often, jails and prisons refuse to recognize that OUD is a chronic disease. Incarcerated people with OUD have the same right to medical care as those with all other chronic diseases. This includes the right not to have medical care taken away as punishment,鈥� said Sarah Bellos, staff attorney with the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project. Likewise, the brief highlights DiFraia鈥檚 claim under the Eighth Amendment鈥檚 prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The district court also dismissed this claim, suggesting that DiFraia must prove that the officials who deprived him of medical treatment did so in order to cause him pain or harm. This is directly contrary to longstanding Supreme Court precedent.