About this episode: 

Medicaid cuts from the recent budget reconciliation law are raising fears of cutbacks among Americans with disabilities who rely on the program for services that allow them to live independently. In this episode: Demi Eckhoff, who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and who relies on Medicaid in North Carolina, explains the uncertainty and what people with disabilities are doing to advocate for themselves.

Guest:

Demi Eckhoff, MPH, is a disability advocate, a registered dietitian, and an incoming doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland’s Health Department.

Show links and related content:

• Disabled Americans Fear What Medicaid Cuts Could Do to Them—New York Times

• Five Ways the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Could Make It More Difficult to Get Health Insurance in N.C.—The Assembly

• America’s Caregiver Crisis—Public Health On Call (July 2025)

• The Potential Impacts of Cuts To Medicaid—Public Health On Call (March 2025)

Transcript information:

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

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Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.