A Ten-Year Wait for Medicaid Home Care Exposes Gaps in Disability Rights

Nick Papadopoulos, a 38-year-old with cerebral palsy in Georgia, spent a decade in a nursing home after a wound left him on a Medicaid home-care waitlist, losing independence and employment. The story frames a broader policy fight: the Trump administration moved to roll back the Olmstead-era integration mandate that encourages in-home care, potentially pushing more disabled people into institutions. Papadopoulos finally found home-based services in 2026, but nationwide waitlists for Medicaid home care remain long, with hundreds of thousands still awaiting support.