The work I do every day for the most vulnerable happens a long way from Washington D.C., but what happens there has a huge impact on my work for my clients. I’ve been a professional caregiver for almost 30 years, supporting people with quadriplegia and mental health challenges to caring for those with developmental disabilities. I’ve worked in several states and many healthcare settings, but one constant has remained: the politicians who run Medicaid just don’t get what we go through every day.
For me and so many others, Medicaid isn’t just a program—it’s a lifeline. It allows seniors, adults with disabilities, and families with children to remain safely in their homes instead of institutions.
That’s why it was so disappointing, but not surprising, when Congressman Ryan Zinke voted for the largest Medicaid cut in history.
He just isn’t telling the truth when he tells you these cuts won’t matter. Take it from someone who has firsthand experience with what happens when you pull the rug out from under Medicaid: These cuts will do real damage to real lives.
One of the people I care for—a 45-year-old man with a brain injury—was living in an adult foster care facility until it closed. After years of being his caregiver, he asked to live with me. I said yes. He’s developmentally around age nine and needs constant attention. Because of Medicaid, I’m able to care for him in my home rather than see him institutionalized.
The real waste, fraud or abuse happening to Medicaid comes from the politicians who would put people like this out on the street so they can pay for tax cuts for billionaires. At the same time his budget guts this essential service, it locks in giveaways to special interests and tax favors for the wealthiest Americans.
The man I look after won’t be the only one who pays a high price once Zinke’s cuts take effect. Overall, his budget risks coverage for over 100,000 Montanans, including 35,000 children. It threatens rural hospitals across the state. Medicaid covers 40% of births in Montana. It supports NICU units, services for children with special needs, and care for seniors and people with disabilities.
Cutting this support doesn’t save money—it shifts costs to families, causes unnecessary hospitalizations, and forces children to go without essential care. Meanwhile, the gap between the wealthiest and the rest of us grows even wider thanks to the tax cuts it locks in place.
It’s time for the most powerful people in this country to get in line with our priorities. We need Congressman Zinke to stand with me and the people I care for every day over the billionaires who will benefit the most from his budget.
Jill Selman is a caregiver who lives in Missoula.