Several Saturdays in the spring and fall, Steve Siple joins other locals in Charlotte, North Carolina, to pick up trash along the city’s light rail lines. The volunteers typically clear about a mile of the trail before ending at a brewery to celebrate and socialize. It’s one of several ways Siple prioritizes social connection. (A.M. Stewart for KFF Health News)
Sen. John Hickenlooper speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Oct. 5, 2021. (Screenshot from Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
Ned Fowkes and Alice Whitford visit their daughter, Eva, at the supported living home in Boise, Idaho, that she shares with another person with disabilities. The home is staffed round-the-clock with caregivers, and the family worries Medicaid cuts in the state could put that care at risk. (Kyle Green for KFF Health News)
Medicaid participant Sam Walker, right, sorts clothing at a Goodwill store in Ottumwa, Iowa, with Andy Koettel, a caregiver paid through a Medicaid waiver program that helps people with disabilities. The assistance of such workers helps people like Walker live in their own homes and participate in their communities rather than be sent to institutions. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)
