June 4, 2026
The Boost News
SPOTLIGHT: MEDICAID
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services just made receiving Medicaid a hell of a lot harder. Both KFF and Disability Scoop unpack the implications. (And stay tuned for next week’s newsletter, where I’ll post The Boost’s Q&A with The Arc’s Kim Musheno, senior director of Medicaid Policy.)
CMS Requires More Restrictive Definition of Medical Frailty in New Medicaid Work Requirements Rule (KFF)
The rule adopts a restrictive definition of medical frailty that differs from states’ early expectations. “At nearly 400 pages, [it] will require time to fully assess its implications. Given the complexity of the provisions in the rule, states will likely face significant challenges in operationalizing the requirements in the next six months.”
Medicaid Changes Will Push People With Disabilities Off Program, Advocates Warn (Disability Scoop/paywall)
The rule “indicates that individuals with physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities will be considered ‘medically frail’ only if their condition ‘significantly impairs’ their ability to perform at least one activity of daily living, or ADL, which includes bathing, dressing, walking, toileting, eating or getting in and out of bed or a chair.” Other categories include “a serious or complex medical condition.”
Disability advocates warn “that the parameters put forth by CMS for people with disabilities to claim an exemption are far more limited than the definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
New Medicaid Expansion Changes Hurt People with Disabilities (Statement from Autistic Self Advocacy Network)
States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch They’re costing already-strapped states millions or tens of millions to implement. (Politico)
MEDICAID ‘FRAUD’
The Autism-Therapy Business Is Booming—and So Is the Billing Abuse The latest look at Applied Behavior Analysis. (The Wall Street Journal/paywall)
Indiana pauses autism therapy provider signups “Indiana has seen an incredible surge in ABA spending over the past several years — a trend that raises concerns about sustainability and program integrity.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
OPINION: Your Child’s ABA Therapy Is Being Rationed. Every Autism Family Needs to Know What’s Happening Right Now. ABA “is not without controversy … and those conversations are worth having. But for thousands of families [it has] helped their child learn to communicate, manage sensory overwhelm, and move through a world that was not built for them.” (Autism Innovation)
Minnesota cuts off thousands of Medicaid providers in race to keep federal funds The state cut ties — at least temporarily — with nearly two-thirds of the Medicaid service providers the state was reviewing to protect programs against fraud and keep federal funds flowing. The decision set off an uproar among providers. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Ohio suspends payments to 49 Medicaid providers following fraud allegations (Dayton Daily News)
Medicaid termination letters leave South Florida behavioral health patients and therapists in limbo (CBS News)
Trump cuts off funds to Hawaii Medicaid fraud unit over lack of cases Without a federally certified Medicaid fraud unit, the state’s broader Medicaid funding could be in jeopardy. (Reuters)
AUTISM
RFK Jr. Seeks To Peek at Americans’ Medical Records for Clues on Autism and Vaccines HSS wants data from little-known state systems that allow hospitals and clinics to exchange detailed, identifiable patient information to research a debunked link between vaccines and autism. (KFF Health News)
Urine Test Can Detect Autism, Study Says (Health Day)
EDUCATION
Despite scrutiny, special ed money flows to for-profit residential treatment centers Nationwide, “many for-profit residential facilities in the so-called troubled teen industry that claim to treat severe mental and behavioral health issues in children and teens are deftly tapping into taxpayer money meant for students with disabilities.” (AP)
Screens are leaving schools fast, though some students with disabilities rely on them (NPR)
Screen time limits call for nuance, disability advocates say Blanket policies run the risk exacerbating existing challenges and running afoul of federal law. (K-12 Dive)
OPINION: The promise of an appropriate education for every child with a disability is under strain (The Hill)
STATES
Note: This starts with New York, where a majority of The Boost’s readership currently is based, and continues alphabetically by state.
Left Behind: How school buses disadvantage New York City students with disabilities (Chalkbeat)
Colorado Gov. signs bill containing protections for kids with disabilities even as funding remains up in the air The law will add new staff to the state department of education who will investigate complaints of discrimination in schools — if Colorado finds the money. (Colorado Sun)
Maryland Enacts Law to Require Plain Language Summaries for Ballot Measures (The Accessible Voting Booth, via Voting Rights Lab)
Mass. state legislature approves bill removing outdated disability terms from state laws (WWLP.com)
NJ Gov. taps intellectual and developmental disabilities ombudsman Lisa Montalbano, a former CEO of a non-profit helping people with I/DD, will lead the office. (NJ Globe)
Most Oregon preschoolers with disabilities now learn alongside non-disabled peers (Oregon Live)
Gov. of Pa.’s Administration Welcomes 28 College Students with Disabilities for Summer Internships with State Agencies (Pa. Gov. Newsroom)
South Dakota releases annual special ed performance reports (kotatv.com)
Texas’ discipline push sends kids to ‘jail-like’ campuses Students with disabilities are more likely to end up in DAEPs, and when they do they are unlikely to get the services and accommodations they are owed under federal law, advocates said. (Hechinger Report)
Is Wisconsin violating the rights of disabled voters? Court hears arguments Those groups argued that voters with disabilities should be allowed to receive, fill out and return an absentee ballot electronically (WPR.org)
ACROSS THE POND
How pupils with special educational needs are more likely to see their schools close (BBC)
OBIT
Frank Hayden, Who Led Global Growth of the Special Olympics, Dies at 96 (The New York Times)
EMMY WINNERS!
Samuel and Dan Habib win Emmy for Best Social Issue Documentary The award went to “The Ride Ahead: Love, Tattoos, and Other Disabled Things.” It follows Samuel as he deals with romance, transitions to independent living, pursues an associate degree and advocates for disability rights, features conversations with his mentors with disabilities. It’s their second Emmy. (Concord Monitor)