Disability Under Threat: Confronting Harmful Rhetoric and Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Over the past year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has undergone significant changes that have fundamentally altered the landscape of health care for disabled people, older adults, and children. From the acceleration of Medicaid rollbacks to the dismantling of core public health protections and shifting vaccine policies, these changes represent more than just administrative adjustments; they are a direct challenge to the safety net people depend on. This webinar will examine how these shifts, coupled with increasingly harmful rhetoric targeting disabled and chronically ill people, have created a precarious environment.

Building on our October disability forum, this session will dive into the specific impacts of recent HHS decisions on disabled people, caregivers, and families. We will discuss the real-world implications of a public health strategy that increasingly shifts the burden of risk onto the individual. By centering the voices of advocates and policy experts, we aim to move beyond the technicalities of federal shifts to address the human cost of these rollbacks and explore how we can protect the future of care and autonomy in a rapidly changing political climate.

The Americans with Disabilities Act turns 36 this year, yet for the one in four Americans living with a disability, the promise of full inclusion and equity remains unfulfilled. Our nation is currently failing to meet the needs of this growing population, relying on a fragmented framework of policies and systems that operate in isolation. This lack of disability-informed, cross-sector approaches often results in policy solutions that create unintended consequences that worsen rather than improve outcomes for the community.

New America strives to make this webinar inclusive for all participants. CART and ASL will be provided throughout the duration of the webinar. Please request any additional accommodations on the event registration form.