Mr. Wheels Daily Dispatch — Thursday, October 22, 2026
Item 1: Oz freezes another $1.2 billion in California home-care money
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz announced Tuesday that the administration is deferring an additional $1.2 billion in federal Medicaid payments to California, citing concerns about its In-Home Supportive Services program, which pays caregivers who help older adults and people with disabilities stay in their homes. Oz pointed to the program growing 24 percent in three years. Gov. Newsom's office disputes the fraud claim and says the program grew because it keeps people out of far more expensive nursing homes. A deferral delays funds rather than cancelling them.
Why it matters to our community: In-home care is the difference between living in your own place and a nursing facility. When funding gets frozen over a fight between governments, disabled people are the ones left wondering if their aide gets paid.
Source: NTD (with AP), Oct. 20, 2026 — https://www.ntd.com/trump-admin-defers-additional-1-2-billion-in-medicaid-payments-to-california_1180210.html
Item 2: Maryland families wait 180+ days on appeals while CMS "reviews"
CMS says it is reviewing allegations that Maryland failed to decide disability-services appeals within the federal 90-day deadline. Spotlight on Maryland reported in September that the state missed that deadline on more than 200 Developmental Disabilities Administration appeals. One man with autism filed in April and still has no hearing date. CMS told his lawyer it is "not an investigative agency" and can require a corrective action plan if it finds noncompliance.
Why it matters to our community: A right to appeal means nothing if the hearing never comes. Families say the delays leave them unable to hire and pay support staff.
Source: FOX45 Baltimore / Spotlight on Maryland, Oct. 21, 2026 — https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/disabled-marylanders-want-federal-government-to-step-in-on-stalled-appeals
Item 3: 650,000 people are waiting for Medicaid home care, up 7%
KFF's survey for fiscal year 2026 counts about 650,000 people on waiting lists for Medicaid home and community-based services waivers, a 7 percent jump from 2025, according to the Midwest Newsroom. Kansas has more than 5,000 people on its I/DD waiver list, and one Kansas mom says she was told the wait is eight years. Advocates there also warn about federal Medicaid cuts in H.R. 1 hitting these programs.
Why it matters to our community: Waiting lists are where "we can't afford it" becomes real. Families describe stretching every dollar while they wait for care the waiver was built to provide.
Source: KCUR / Midwest Newsroom, Oct. 21, 2026 — https://www.kcur.org/health/2026-10-21/kansas-disability-medicaid-waiver-waitlist
Mr. Wheels take
Talking point: Fraud should be stopped, but freezing home-care money and calling it accountability punishes the people who depend on it. Fix the fraud without cutting off the aide.
Take action: Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask for your senators, and tell them to protect Medicaid home and community-based services and to demand CMS keep paying for care while any fraud review plays out.
Real voices. Real impact. Real change. — Mr. Wheels