How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will Impact the Disabled and Neurodivergent Community
- Sam Shepherd
- Aug 11
- 2 min read
By Sophia Levine
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 was passed into law and signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, promising sweeping transformations around the country. However, disability rights advocates are saying that this bill does more harm to the disabled and neurodivergent community than good.
The bill includes a one trillion dollar cut to Medicaid, work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries, a limiting of Medicaid Provider taxes, and calls for states to check beneficiaries’ eligibility more frequently. Savings from Medicaid and Food Assistance programs’ spending will be reduced to pay for the extended tax cuts signed into law during Trump’s first term in 2017.
The American Association for People with Disabilities said the Medicaid cuts will take effect at the end of 2026 and roll out over 10 years.
Disability advocates say that they are worried about optional medicaid offerings like home and community based services and more eligibility checks and work requirements.
“Because states are not required to provide these services to everyone who needs them, states faced with a huge loss of federal funding for Medicaid will cut HCBS first,” Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network told Disability Scoop. “This will lead to disabled people going without lifeline services like assistance with eating, dressing, using the bathroom, going to work, etc.”
The advocates also said that the new requirements will cause states to have no choice but to devote limited resources towards creating systems to implement them.
Republicans have argued that the Big Beautiful Bill will not take away services from disabled communities and will not cut medicaid. Advocates say that this is not true and that 86 percent of optional medicaid spending is used for services for disabled and elderly Americans.
The medicaid cuts come as more than 700,000 people are on waiting lists for medicaid waivers that provide services for home and community-based services.
Another key provision of this bill includes the reduction of educational support as the downsizing of the Department of Education and reorganization of the Administration of Community Living may weaken the support system used by neurodivergent students.
What Should Be Done:
In order to mitigate confusion and cuts, Envisioning Access encourages the following policy recommendations:
Policymakers should consider potential consequences of work requirements and not make it one size fits all, there should be exemptions that are accessible and defined.
Adequate funding for Medicaid, SNAP, and housing programs for disabled people should be protected and strengthened.
Enhance accountability and oversight.
Listen and make sure disabled people have a say in what goes in the bill and what they need.
Sources:
Diament, Michelle. “Congress Approves Nearly $1 Trillion In Cuts To Medicaid Threatening Disability Services.” Disability Scoop, 3 July 2025, https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/07/03/congress-approves-nearly-1-trillion-in-cuts-to-medicaid-threatening-disability-services/31526/. Accessed 7 July 2025.
