When President Trump signed his One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025, he established a requirement that Americans must show proof of work for a strict amount of hours throughout the year in order to be eligible for Medicaid. In the United States, countless Americans work but do not qualify for Medicaid under these requirements, perhaps because they work unpredictable hours or act as a full-time caregiver for family.

This legislation significantly harms people with disabilities. Although the bill technically exempts individuals with disabilities from the work requirements, it specifically requires that recipients with disabilities must prove that their condition impairs their ability to meet the work requirements. These eligibility requirements introduce huge barriers (e.g., extremely complex paperwork and limited time to provide documentation) for recipients and applicants seeking to obtain the coverage they need and deserve, leaving many individuals with disabilities without health insurance coverage. Because of this, we must urge Congress to amend this statute and mandate that a proof of diagnosis alone may satisfy the medical frailty exemption. 

Please protect the disability community and sign this petition to urge Illinois U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to introduce and support a bill to amend H.R. 1 and allow proof of diagnosis alone to exempt a person with a disability from the Medicaid work requirements.