I Care for a Medically Complex Child. That’s Why I Want the Fraud Rooted Out.
Controversy has erupted across the country as widespread fraud is being discovered in state programs that are meant to aid the most vulnerable in society.
The White House and various teams within the administration are rallying for change to benefit programs that represent significant portions of the federal budget. Vice President Vance recently held an Attorneys General round table to brainstorm tackling this enormous set of issues together. In the world of public discourse, caregivers and legitimate assistance organizations are often blaming Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS, and Trump for delegitimizing their difficult circumstances.
As a caregiver to a highly medically complex child, I urge that we focus our efforts on rooting out the fraud.
From Minnesota’s falsified daycares and autism centers ($90 million) to California’s hospice shell companies($50 million so far), from Maine’s illegitimate ABA therapies ($45.6 million) to Mississippi’s own Medicaidtricksters ($10.5 million), unchecked programs have caused us to bleed out as a nation. Since RFK Jr.’s remarks on paid caregiver stipend abuse, he has faced huge backlash from disability and caregiver communities. These huge segments of the population feel unheard. State and federal officials and the voting population are talking past one another on the issue.
My five year old son requires around the clock care. He can’t talk, walk, or sit. He can’t see typically, requires a g-tube because he can’t eat enough by his own accord, and often needs oxygen and seizure support. He requires nursing staff at a prescribed medical daycare and often in the home. Mississippi doesn’t have a large paid caregiver program, and I have become unable to work full-time as I used to because of his appointments and level of care.
While I understand that policy discussions on this topic could come across as insensitive to delicate situations, I argue that parents like me should be rallying for more oversight more than anyone else. Adult children caring for aging parents, victims of brain and spinal injuries, and parents of children with medical needs ought to turn their angst towards the very people putting their necessary programs in jeopardy. Mississippi and other states are right to hesitate to expand or add programs until the checkpoints are clear. Most Mississippians agree that these populations are who these social programs were designed to serve. When it gets into the hands of people who are neglecting family members and falsifying documents, we should be outraged. I find that most caregivers are underestimating the scope of this fraud. As a result, we are misunderstanding who RFK Jr. and the administration are targeting.
Because Mississippians care for the most vulnerable and because children like my own can’t afford a gap in services, we have to join forces to resolve this enormous set of issues, program by program, until our funds are used properly. Let us support policies and candidates dedicated to cooperating with the federal government. Investigate, verify, and solidify our necessary programs. Abuse of these funds hurts us all, so let’s love our neighbors well.
Anja Baker is a Fellow of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.