Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparked outrage among disability rights advocates with recent comments alleging widespread fraud in Medicaid programs that pay people to care for elderly or disabled family members \u2014 a system millions of Americans rely on to survive.<\/p>\n
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During testimony before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee last week, Kennedy criticized Medicaid-funded programs<\/a> that pay relatives to serve as caregivers, alleging they compensate people for tasks they \u201cused to do as family members for free.\u201d That includes paying them \u201cfor balancing the checkbook, for picking up the groceries, for driving somebody to a doctor\u2019s appointment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this is rife with fraud,\u201d Kennedy said, because the federal government has no way \u201cto determine if they actually performed that duty or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Video of the remarks quickly spread across social media, drawing a wave of angry responses from caregivers and disability rights advocates who said Kennedy trivialized the reality of caring for medically complex loved ones while conflating legitimate caregiving with illegal activity.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s insulting,\u201d said Kim Musheno, senior director of Medicaid policy at The Arc of the United States, a national disability rights organization. \u201cIt\u2019s insulting to the families, and it\u2019s insulting to the work that direct support professionals do for people.\u201d<\/p>\n That work, advocates say, is far more complex than shuttling loved ones to doctor appointments.<\/p>\n For many families, it involves constant, hands-on care for relatives who are unable to live independently \u2014 from managing medications and medical equipment to providing continuous supervision for those with significant physical or behavioral needs. The work can be physically and emotionally demanding, advocates say.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share about Medicaid home care? Fill out this form<\/a>. <\/p>\n Sue Root, a nurse and single mother of three in Colorado who is paid through Medicaid to care for her 25-year-old daughter, said Kennedy\u2019s words bore little resemblance to her daily life. Her daughter, who suffered a catastrophic brain injury as a child, requires around-the-clock care, including a ventilator, feeding tube and seizure monitoring \u2014 which Root largely manages at home.<\/p>\n \u201cThe suggestion that family caregivers are simply running errands or performing typical normal tasks that should be done for free is not only inaccurate, it is deeply dismissive of the reality of special needs families like mine,\u201d Root said.<\/p>\n More than 11 million Americans are paid through government programs to care for elderly or disabled family members, according to a recent study<\/a>. Many are reimbursed through a suite of state-administered Medicaid programs known as home- and community-based services, which compensate both family members and professional caregivers to help people live safely at home.<\/p>\n Kennedy\u2019s comments come as Medicaid home-care programs \u2014 which have long garnered bipartisan support as a cost-effective alternative to nursing homes and other institutions \u2014 face growing scrutiny from conservative policymakers and activists who have framed them as magnets for fraud and waste.<\/p>\n In a statement, Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon defended the agency\u2019s scrutiny of home-care programs, saying they play an important role but \u201chave long been vulnerable to misuse.\u201d<\/p>\n White House spokesperson Kush Desai echoed that message, saying in a statement that \u201cpervasive waste, fraud, and abuse in key health programs are not only a drain on taxpayers, but a threat to the long-term viability of these programs for the Americans who rely on them.\u201d<\/p>\n FORSUBSCRIBERS<\/p>\n 02:31<\/p>\n Advocates do not dispute that fraud exists in large government programs and should be rooted out. State and federal prosecutors have secured convictions<\/a> in recent years against operators who billed Medicaid for home-care services that were never provided or falsified to inflate payments, in some cases totaling tens of millions of dollars<\/a>. <\/p>\n But caregivers say Kennedy\u2019s comments paint with too broad a brush and risk undermining services that millions depend on. Advocates also dispute the claim that there are no checks to ensure family caregivers are legitimate, noting that states typically require training, documentation of care and other oversight.<\/p>\n Medicaid home-care programs are already under strain. More than 600,000 disabled or elderly people are estimated to be on waitlists<\/a> for services nationwide, and advocates say low pay and difficult working conditions have led to a chronic shortage of home-care workers.<\/p>\n In response to these pressures, which were amplified during the Covid pandemic, many states have expanded programs allowing family members to be paid caregivers \u2014 a shift backed by both Republicans and Democrats<\/a>. In many parts of the country, especially rural areas, families say they cannot find workers with the skills to care for people with complex medical needs.<\/p>\n In those cases, Musheno said, paying family members can be both a practical and economic solution for people who leave the workforce to care for disabled relatives.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can they afford to live if they\u2019re not getting paid to take care of their child?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The controversy over Kennedy\u2019s remarks comes as states grapple with rising health care costs, inflation-driven budget strains and looming federal Medicaid cuts<\/a> under the \u201cbig, beautiful bill\u201d that President Donald Trump signed into law last year \u2014 pressures already prompting some states to consider reducing<\/a> home-based services.<\/p>\n Barbara Merrill, CEO of ANCOR, a national association representing providers of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, said Kennedy\u2019s comments have left community-based caregivers \u201cgravely concerned\u201d about the future of home care.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t just denigrate family caregivers, they denigrated the work of the professionals in our fields by suggesting that all home- and community-based services could just be done by family caregivers, and it should all be done for free,\u201d Merrill said. \u201cIt\u2019s just shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n For families already stretched thin, the stakes are deeply personal. <\/p>\n![\"Sue](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/260423-Sue-Root-ch-0924-1f0fef.jpg\")
Sue Root with her daughter Amy.Courtesy Sue Root<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/rockcms\/2026-01\/asterisk-43f04b.svg\")
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