JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville mother of a disabled child went to Capitol Hill to advocate for keeping Medicaid and SNAP funding in place.
Jacqueline Rich is the mom of 5-year-old Maverick. Maverick suffers from over 30 medical conditions, including Cri du Chat syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder caused by a missing piece of a chromosome.
National budget cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits could impact the state level programming. Rich is doing everything she can to ensure her son has a fair chance at life. His health issues are something he’ll have to deal with for the rest of his life.
His family currently pays for Florida’s state Medicaid plan, which has come with a lot of issues.
“Mavericks Medicaid has been a complete roller coaster, but his new insurance he got in August of last year, does not cover long term diagnosis,” Rich said. “So Maverick no longer gets any therapy.”
A U.S. House proposal calls for $880 billion in Medicaid cuts and $230 billion in SNAP benefits.
The Florida Policy Institute shared that state economists predict a $2.8 billion deficit by fiscal year 2026 as a result of the cuts.
Rich went to Washington D.C. to advocate for the people who can’t advocate for themselves.
“These kids can’t talk, they can’t advocate for themselves. So who else is going to do it? And a lot of parents are scared, because they’re scared of the repercussions. But, I mean, what’s the worst thing that happens? I quit my job, and then he goes back on the free Medicaid that I don’t pay almost $300 a month for,” said Rich.
Holly Bullard is Florida Policy Institutes Chief Strategy and Development Officer. She explains that the programs are vital in times of economic uncertainty.
“Depending on what the economic future holds for us, it’s creating a great void where the safety net and these core programs that are really popular with Americans creating a void when they should be there to catch us,” Bullard explained.
Rich is going to keep fighting for her son, and she encourages others that are concerned about the looming cuts to reach out to their representatives.
“Don’t be quiet. Don’t be scared. We have nothing to lose,” she said.
