Medicaid Waiver Advocacy in Texas
What are the Texas Medicaid Waivers?
The Texas Medicaid Waivers let the state use Medicaid funds for long-term home and community-based services for people with disabilities or special health care needs in order to help them live in the community.
Many people need ongoing supports and services in order to maintain their quality of life. Music therapy supports members of the community in accessing what they need to live full and rich lives. Skills that contribute to social, mental, physical, and emotional wellness are covered in music therapy and other specialized therapies like recreational therapy.
If you or someone you know wants to share a story with a legislator, write to Brit!
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​If you live in Texas, you can advocate for Medicaid services by calling your congress people and Senator Ted Cruz and Senator John Cornyn directly.
Hi! I’m Brit, and I’m a Board Certified Music Therapist living in Round Rock, TX. I hope to support the disability community in accessing services with more efficiency and expanding medicaid and the medicaid waivers in Texas.
As a disabled Texan myself (I have mental health conditions that qualify as disabilities, though I do not receive benefits), I see the value in providing and receiving therapy services in Texas. People have conditions that impair their physical and mental well-being. Everyone deserves access to the care they need. In order to promote access care in Texas, we need to vote for the legislators that also believe this and support the well-being of ALL Texans, not just those that need fewer services.
I speak directly with caregivers and community members about Medicaid issues and their access to services. Disabled Texans are considering moving out of state because it takes longer than 10 years to access therapy services on Medicaid waivers in Texas. Wisconsin, for example, has no waitlist to access critical therapy services.
Most recently, I and my colleagues contacted multiple legislators to advocate for Medicaid exceptions to coverage not to impact the waivers and to keep critical services intact via Medicaid. I already do this advocacy work and value new discoveries that I can share with the community.
While Governor Abbott is reluctant to take national Medicaid funds or fully fund the services provided by the state, Texans struggle to live their fullest lives.
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For information on actions for advocacy for the disability community, please visit https://thearc.org/policy-advocacy/