North Carolina Family Warns Medicaid Cuts Could Force Them to Ration 6-Year-Old’s Lifesaving Treatment

RALEIGH, NC — As Congress prepares to vote on sweeping federal Medicaid cuts, one North Carolina family is warning that their 6-year-old daughter’s care could be severely impacted — and that they may be forced to ration her treatment if changes are enacted.

The Beaver family from North Carolina relies on Medicaid’s Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C) to cover therapy and life-saving medications for their daughter Kennedy, who has Noonan syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes poor muscle tone and stunted development.

Proposed cuts threaten essential therapy access

Kennedy has been attending therapy sessions at least twice a week, supported by the CAP/C waiver program, which covers treatments and medications for medically complex children under 20.

Her mother, Marilyn Beaver, told CBS News the family would otherwise face over $4,000 a month in out-of-pocket costs, even with private insurance. That includes $3,200 per month for a single medication their primary insurance refuses to cover.

“Without Medicaid, we’d be right back to choosing which treatments we could afford,” Marilyn said.

The family says they’ve faced this before — making hard decisions on whether to delay or skip care, a risk they fear will return if the new Medicaid plan becomes law.

What’s in the proposed “Big Beautiful Bill”?

The cuts are tied to a funding cap included in former President Trump’s proposed healthcare package, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill”, which limits how much money states can receive for Medicaid. In North Carolina, over 600,000 residents could lose full access to services.

Jay Ludlam, North Carolina’s Deputy Secretary of Medicaid, warned that the CAP/C program is “likely to be one of the first things cut” if the cap is implemented.

“You can’t take $700 billion out of Medicaid nationally without changing the benefits people receive,” Ludlam said. “This is going to affect real families.”

A system under pressure

North Carolina’s Medicaid system currently supports more than 3 million people. Programs like CAP/C allow children with disabilities to receive home-based care instead of being institutionalized. Without that support, experts say both health outcomes and long-term costs will worsen.

The Beavers say their story is not unique — and that the system is already fragile.

“Fix the healthcare system,” Marilyn told CBS News, “but don’t do it by cutting services to children who need it most.”

Do you think Medicaid cuts will hurt families in your North Carolina community? Join the conversation in the comments — and follow more public health coverage at SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.