I wanted to express my profound gratitude to Congressman Joe Courtney for his consistent and passionate stand against the recent attempt to destroy the Medicaid system that was part and parcel of the recently failed American Health Care Act. I am the president of the Arc of Connecticut board of directors. We are a statewide organization dedicated to advancing the rights and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Unlike so many others, Congressman Courtney realized that passage of the AHCA would have been a frontal attack on the Medicaid system that has helped countless people with intellectual and developmental disabilities take their rightful place in the community.

On Friday, Courtney took to the floor of the U.S. Congress and said what we were hoping against hope that someone would say: that among the victims of the proposed AHCA were people with developmental disabilities. For a population that too frequently languishes in the shadows, it was incredibly welcome that Joe Courtney used his position to bring their concerns into the light. It will be a brighter day when more of our leaders follow his lead.

Tom Fiorentino

West Hartford

The author is president of the Arc of Connecticut board of directors.

Originally posted in the Norwich Bulletin March 29, 2017