CMS projects 2.3 million fewer Medicaid enrollees in fiscal 2027 under the work rule Mike Carey voted for on July 3, 2025. Ohio is a Medicaid expansion state, so its expansion adults are covered by the rule. The law lists exemptions for disabled adults, yet eligible people still lose coverage over paperwork, the Commonwealth Fund warns.
Before that, Carey's yeas were the margin on both 2025 budget resolution votes. They gave Energy and Commerce, the Medicaid committee, an $880 billion savings target. Home care for disabled people is mostly optional Medicaid spending. Within Ohio's 15th District, Medicaid enrolled 25,400 people with disabilities in 2025.
Mike Carey's Votes on Medicaid for People With Disabilities
- Carey's Aye Went to a Medicaid Work Rule That Puts Disabled Adults' Coverage at the Mercy of Exemption Paperwork. Roll call 190, July 3, 2025: final passage, 218 to 214. Mike Carey voted aye. In May he was among the 215 yeas that carried the House draft. Under the law, covered expansion adults must document 80 hours a month in work or similar activity. Its exemptions cover anyone "who is blind or disabled (as defined in section 1614)", anyone "with a physical, intellectual or developmental disability that significantly impairs their ability to perform 1 or more activities of daily living", and anyone with a serious or complex medical condition. CMS estimates "enrollment would be reduced by 2.3 million individuals in FY 2027." A disabled adult whose exemption paperwork stalls loses coverage too.
- Carey's Budget Yeas Were the Margin for an $880 Billion Target That Threatens Home Care, in 2025. Roll call 50, February 25, 2025: H.Con.Res. 14 adopted, 217 to 215, Carey yea. Roll call 100, April 10, 2025: final text adopted, 216 to 214, Carey yea. A Carey flip ties either count, and ties fail. The resolution ordered the Medicaid committee to "reduce the deficit by not less than $880,000,000,000" over ten years. These home and community services are what keep disabled Ohioans in their own homes. The Bipartisan Policy Center calls them "largely an optional Medicaid benefit,". It says that makes them "more vulnerable to reductions during periods of state or federal budget constraints." Many policy experts, BPC reports, expect the law to "slow or reverse recent HCBS expansion efforts".
What Mike Carey's Votes Mean for Ohioans With Disabilities
- Medicaid serves 25,400 people with disabilities in Ohio's 15th District. KFF's 2025 district figures show 25,400 people with disabilities enrolled in Medicaid in Ohio's 15th District. Medicaid pays for their aides, therapy and equipment. Under the law Carey voted for, Ohio's federal Medicaid money drops $32.6 billion over ten years.
- 2,051 Ohioans were already waiting for Medicaid home care in 2026. By KFF's 2026 count, 2,051 Ohioans were waiting for a slot in Medicaid home care. Those services keep disabled Ohioans out of institutions. Optional home care is more exposed to cuts when budgets tighten, the Bipartisan Policy Center says.
- Work rules are projected to cut Ohio Medicaid by 305,000 people by 2028. Once the rule starts, by January 1, 2027, adults in Ohio's expansion group, disabled adults among them, must meet it or qualify for an exemption. Manatt Health, in an estimate the Health Policy Institute of Ohio published, sees enrollment falling by 305,000 people, or 10%, by 2028. The Commonwealth Fund warns that people who remain eligible still lose coverage over paperwork.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mike Carey on Disability rights
What is Mike Carey's record on disability rights under Trump?
Mike Carey cast a July 3, 2025 aye for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Under that law's Medicaid work rule, disabled adults in Ohio's expansion group risk losing coverage over exemption paperwork. His yeas were also the margin on the 2025 budget resolution, which told the Medicaid committee to produce at least $880 billion in deficit reduction. The law cuts Ohio's federal Medicaid money by $32.6 billion; in his district, Medicaid covered 25,400 people with disabilities that year.
Did Mike Carey exempt people with disabilities from Medicaid work rules?
Mike Carey voted for a law that, on paper, exempts several groups of disabled adults: people who are blind or disabled under section 1614 of the Social Security Act, people whose disability significantly impairs daily activities, and people with a serious or complex medical condition. The Commonwealth Fund expects eligible people to lose coverage when the paperwork fails.
Did Mike Carey vote to cut Medicaid home care for people with disabilities?
Yes. Mike Carey's yeas were the margin for the $880 billion Medicaid-committee target in February and April 2025, and the law he voted for on July 3, 2025 takes $32.6 billion from Ohio's federal Medicaid funds. Home care is mostly optional Medicaid spending, which leaves it more exposed when states cut back.
Last updated: 2026-10-27