As a parent, I can’t imagine asking my child to skip school, miss sports, or give up their future so they can become a caregiver.

But that’s exactly what will happen if Congress moves forward with proposed cuts to Medicaid.

According to a recent CBS News report, one of the first programs likely to be slashed is Medicaid’s home- and community-based services (HCBS). These services help families care for aging parents, disabled loved ones, and relatives with chronic illness—without placing the burden on children.

If these programs disappear, families will be left with no choice. And when no adult help is available, children step in.

That means more kids dropping out of school. More teens giving up jobs and college. More children quietly sacrificing their childhoods to do unpaid, invisible work.

Economist Andrew Olenski, who specializes in long-term health care, warns that these cuts would push thousands more kids into caregiving roles. Many already are—and they’re doing it alone.

We are urging Congress: don’t cut the Medicaid programs that support family caregivers. Protect home- and community-based services under Medicaid.

If you take away support for families, the burden will fall on kids. They’re not equipped to carry it—and they shouldn’t have to.

Let children be children. Protect Medicaid—and protect the people who care.