Like most of you, I wake up every morning expecting more sobering news; yet, I still get shocked by what I read and dismayed by setbacks that shake our sense of justice and decency.
We worked hard to limit the damaging cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the recent budget bill, but, with great displays of angst, members of Congress who once pledged to protect health care for working families caved. The bill targets underserved communities—low-income people, transgender people, immigrants, and others.
Doubling down on the harm, the administration is pushing states to institutionalize people with disabilities, setting back decades of hard-won progress in enabling people with disabilities to live full lives in their homes and communities. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant people, when we know those vaccines save lives of infants and their families. And, most recently, the HHS Secretary is considering firing all 16 members of the Preventive Services Task Force. Those are the experts who recommend which health services insurance plans should cover without cost sharing, because they are highly effective in preventing serious illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Outside the realm of health care, universities—institutions that should champion free thought—are facing political pressure to accept a distorted, inaccurate narrative: that Black people were never enslaved, that indigenous people weren’t displaced, and that queer and disabled people weren’t scapegoated, maligned, and silenced. Under this logic, anyone who challenges that falsehood is accused of violating anti-discrimination laws.
The media is losing its voice for truth, with many outlets handling the administration with kid gloves—afraid of provoking lawsuits or, in the case of public media, facing defunding. Meanwhile, big tech has capitulated entirely, abandoning its earlier commitments to equity and environmental responsibility in deference to the president.
And, our court system? We were hopeful when lower courts demonstrated their commitment to the rule of law and said no to numerous blatantly illegal administration orders. But the Supreme Court? Not so much.
It is tempting to look away, toward something more comfortable. Yet, my hope and energy are renewed each day at work. My colleagues at NHeLP, individually and collectively, face the same disappointment, dismay, and difficulties, but they focus on how to move forward, how to keep fighting.
In recent months. I have been asked many times how NHeLP is doing and whether we have a plan to help the millions of people whom Congress intends to lose health care in order to give the rich a bigger tax break. My answer has been consistent: we will do what we have always done, what we do best. We will fight back for the people who need us.
NHeLP continues to fight, drawing on more than 55 years of experience in battling challenges to health access. We are implementing a multi-faceted strategy to protect access to health care for as many people as we possibly can. Congress has required that states impose “work requirements” as a condition of Medicaid enrollment, that states re-determine Medicaid eligibility every six months, and that the Biden administration rules that made getting and staying enrolled in Medicaid easier will sunset. Congress’ requirements are designed to “save” the federal government money by making it hard for people to be enrolled.
Hard but not impossible. The vast majority of Medicaid enrollees who can work do already work. We and our state partners—the heroes on the ground in every state and territory—will collectively support individuals who need help proving that they meet work requirements or are entitled to exemptions. Congress also radically slashed the federal money flowing into states for their Medicaid programs. States now have a huge incentive to cut services, even when their people are entitled to those services. Medicaid still guarantees access to necessary health services. We and our partners will enforce that guarantee.
Against this backdrop, I share bittersweet news—it is time for me to retire next spring and pass the torch to a new leader.
I do so with deep pride and full confidence in NHeLP’s strength, resilience, and ability to keep fighting for those who need us most. For me and for my husband, it is time to begin a new chapter while we are still young (young 70s) and we are ready for the next challenge. I don’t know what is coming next for me, but I do know this—we will continue to fight to save our country from totalitarianism and we will continue to support NHeLP’s lifesaving work.
On a recent trip to Paris, I saw Delacroix’ painting, Liberty Leading the People. It is an iconic painting of the Goddess of Liberty holding aloft a tattered French flag, urging followers on toward a barricade. I had to look up where this battle fit in French history. It’s the Revolution of 1830, not the French Revolution of 1789. That bit of history is a reminder that fighting for liberty is not a one-time effort. People of every generation are called on to hoist the banner and carry on the fight. In a letter to his brother in the fall of 1830, Delacroix wrote that “My bad mood is vanishing thanks to hard work… And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her.”
My own bad mood vanishes thanks to my NHeLP colleagues, our partner organizations, and allies like you. I may not paint for my country, but I have fought for her by building up NHeLP and supporting a powerful community of health justice advocates. I feel good about passing the banner to someone new to continue the fight.
We are not backing down. We are not retreating. We are doubling down on protecting the people who will suffer the greatest harm. We will get through these difficult days together with hard work and determination, using the skills we each have and contributing what we can.
Thank you for standing with me through the years and for being part of this continuing fight. I may not be at the helm waving the flag after next spring, but I will always be beside you in the struggle for health justice, human dignity, and liberty for all.
In deep gratitude,
Elizabeth G. Taylor
