From Justice in Aging When Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, it included critical protections for people who rely on Medicaid during the pandemic. Congress provided additional Medicaid funding and said that states accepting the increased funding could not cut health care coverage, services, or increase costs. In November, the Trump Administration rolled back these protections. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that allows states to keep the extra Medicaid funding but strips away protections for people. For example, under the IFR, states can: Cut full Medicaid coverage for older adults turning 65 years old. These older adults will face increased costs and lose coverage for critical services such as transportation, dental, vision, and hearing that Medicare does not cover. Eliminate or cut home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults and individuals with disabilities, which may cause health cr