The Medicaid Program is an important resource to support the most vulnerable.
The Working Families Tax Cuts Act strengthened the Medicaid program by cracking down on fraud, waste and abuse and by improving access to home and community-based services.
A lesser-known provision of the law enabled a broader range of individuals with developmental disabilities to gain access to home and community-based services.
The new law also enabled interim home and community-based service coverage while newly eligible individuals develop their full care plan.
The law will cut red tape and provide more services to vulnerable citizens.
While Congress has added new flexibilities to Medicaid, I also want to highlight an important milestone in integrating people with disabilities into the community.
More than 20 years ago, I helped enact the Money Follows the Person Program to help people with disabilities transition from long-term care facilities into homes based in the community of the person’s choice.
Rebalancing individuals from institutions to the community is an important goal.
Iowa began its program with federal support in 2008 and has now transitioned over 1,100 people out of institutional-based care into independent settings in the community of the person’s choice.
Last year, Iowa surpassed moving over 1,000 people through this program.
Iowa’s Money Follows the Person program is helping more people with intellectual disabilities and brain injuries gain independence for the first time.
This also means people are choosing their own daily activities for the first time, going to work or school, or participating in other “firsts.”
Iowa is a leader in moving people with intellectual disabilities into the community.
In 2025, 96 percent of people who went through the program were still living in the community a year later.
This program is helping Americans with disabilities find independence in their daily lives.
Whether a new or old program in Medicaid, I’m proud to support these efforts to support the most vulnerable.
