This AARP Public Policy Institute report highlights a sharp decline in the affordability of long-term services and supports (LTSS) for middle-class Americans between 2019 and 2024, reversing a decade of gradual improvement. Driven by high labor costs and inflation, the median cost for home health and assisted living increased by nearly 50% over those five years, significantly outpacing the 22% growth in median household income for those aged 65 and older. By 2024, annual costs for typical home care or facility-based services often equaled or exceeded the entire median income of older households, frequently exhausting lifetime savings within months. The report also notes substantial geographic disparity, with care in the most expensive states costing more than double that of the least expensive states, leaving many middle-income families to rely on unpaid family caregivers or deplete assets to qualify for Medicaid.

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Judy Heumann, often hailed as the "Mother of the Disability Rights Movement," was a transformative leader whose advocacy shaped landmark civil rights legislation including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Known for leading the historic 26-day 504 sit-in in San Francisco, she later served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations and co-founded the World Institute on Disability. Beyond her policy achievements, Heumann is remembered for her commitment to "nothing about us, without us," her mentorship of future leaders, and her ability to weave her identity as a disabled Jewish woman into a "roadmap" for religious and societal inclusion. Even three years after her passing in 2023, her legacy continues to empower the disability community to challenge ableism and demand equitable treatment in all facets of life.

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The SAVE America Act (also known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) is a proposed federal bill that would mandate in-person proof of citizenship for voter registration and require government-issued photo ID for both in-person and mail-in voting. Disability advocacy groups, such as The Arc, argue that these requirements create significant barriers for voters with disabilities who may struggle with transportation, document duplication, or navigating physical polling places. While the bill aims to tighten election security, critics point out that it could conflict with existing protections like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Help America Vote Act, potentially disenfranchising a voting bloc that relies heavily on accessible mail-in options and flexible registration processes.

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A bill recently passed by the Wisconsin Legislature and sent to Governor Tony Evers aims to streamline the discharge process for hospital patients deemed incapacitated who lack a designated healthcare agent. Supported by hospital systems, the legislation addresses the "bottleneck" of patients who no longer require acute care but remain in hospital beds for weeks while awaiting court-appointed guardians. While proponents argue this will free up critical resources and reduce costs, disability advocacy groups have expressed concerns regarding the rights and protections of these vulnerable patients during the transfer to nursing homes.

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Dr. Amber McKenna, a UW Health resident, has developed a project to create adaptive crayons specifically designed for children and adults with developmental disabilities. After noticing that standard crayons were difficult for patients with varying muscle tone to use, she secured a grant to melt down old crayons into custom shapes and sizes—smaller ones for those with high muscle tone and larger ones for those with lower strength. Since the project's inception, McKenna and her team have produced thousands of these crayons, donating them to organizations like GiGi’s Playhouse and the Central Wisconsin Center to ensure that art remains accessible to everyone.

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Finding assisted living in Wisconsin is best started through Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs), which offer free, objective information on local providers, payment options, and care levels. While online searches often lead to private referral agencies that may receive commissions from specific facilities, ADRCs provide unbiased lists and can help families navigate Medicaid or home-care alternatives. Experts also recommend reviewing facility surveys from the Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance and asking referral agencies direct questions about their financial relationships and the criteria they use to recommend certain providers.

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The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families reports that total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment declined by approximately 3.3 million people (4.0%) in 2025, marking the third consecutive year of losses following the pandemic-era "unwinding." This downward trend occurred despite a modest rise in unemployment and is expected to worsen as states prepare for H.R. 1, which introduces mandatory work reporting requirements and more frequent renewals starting as early as mid-2026. The report highlights a "chilling effect" among mixed-status families and significant child enrollment drops in states like Alaska and Indiana, prompting the launch of a new state-by-state tracker to monitor these early warning signs of a rising uninsured rate.

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The Trump Administration is reportedly using claims of "fraud, waste, and abuse" as a pretext to withhold billions in Medicaid funding from Democratic-led states, with a primary focus on Minnesota. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the federal government has deployed unprecedented legal maneuvers—including a rarely used compliance action and the deferral of hundreds of millions of dollars—that specifically target home- and community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities. Critics argue these actions are politically motivated weaponizations of oversight intended to punish states that provide health coverage to immigrants and to destabilize programs that help low-income residents meet basic needs.

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