Stories

Medicaid makes it possible for Americans from all walks of life to get access to health care in times of need. Whether they are working families, children or the elderly, each of us knows someone who turned to Medicaid to care for themselves or loved ones.

John

“I just don’t know what we would have done without Medicaid.” John's wife tells how Medicaid helped him receive care when battling dementia.

Margot

Without Medicaid, Margot doesn’t know what she would have done. In addition to caring for her physical needs, Medicaid helped give her a renewed purpose in life … it meant she could continue her life of service.

Margot

Submitted by: Providence St. Joseph Health

Issaquah, Washington

Medicaid is a ‘godsend’ (Margot's story)

Margot is all about doing for others. Before she became ill, she volunteered at a local food bank, cooked Thanksgiving meals for seniors in need and helped at her church. These days, Margot can’t always take care of herself … but she still finds ways to nurture others.

At 76, she’s lived at Providence Marianwood, a skilled nursing facility in Issaquah, Wash., since 2015. Medicaid makes that possible. She’s fortunate to have private insurance that pays for hospitalizations, but she couldn’t afford to live in a residential care center until she enrolled in Medicaid in 2016. That’s when her health issues worsened to the point she could no longer live independently.

“Living here and having Medicaid has done wonders for me,” she says. A widow, she took the death of her husband – “he was my buddy” – hard. She beams when she talks about her two adult daughters, who also live in Washington state and visit as often as they can.

Margot has several serious, chronic health conditions – a spinal cord injury that severely limits her mobility, rheumatoid arthritis, a heart condition and fibromyalgia. But she doesn’t allow physical limitations to dampen her enthusiasm for helping others.

“There’s a sign on my door that asks ‘What makes you happy?’ and I wrote: ‘Helping the other residents, making sure their needs are met, and encouraging them to be all they can be,’” she says. She’s president of the center’s resident council and recently was asked to be an ombudsman for her fellow residents.

“I go around all day asking people how they feel. I visit patients who don’t come out of their rooms,” she says. “It takes only a few minutes to put a smile on someone’s face. I make sure they’re not forgotten.”

Without Medicaid, Margot doesn’t know what she would have done. In addition to caring for her physical needs, Medicaid helped give her a renewed purpose in life … it meant she could continue her life of service.

“Medicaid has been a godsend. Can you even imagine how grateful I am, as well as many other seniors?”

Greg

After nearly drowning and suffering severe brain damage at age 17, Greg and his family turned to Medicaid and Medicare for his treatment.

Greg

Submitted by: Providence St. Joseph Health

Washington

Medicaid supports renewal after brain injury (Greg's story)

When Greg was 17, he and his girlfriend went swimming in a lake on a hot July afternoon. Together they swam far out in the lake, relishing the cool water. They did not realize it was too far for Greg, who had asthma and was not a strong swimmer. He just didn’t have the strength to swim back to shore. His girlfriend saw him struggling and tried to keep him afloat, but Greg panicked. He nearly drowned.

By the time Greg was pulled from the water, he had suffered severe brain damage. He spent the next month in a coma, hooked up to a ventilator. During that time, the doctors told his family the best they could probably hope for was that, one day, Greg might be able to breathe on his own again.

But Greg surprised everyone and came out of the coma. His family took him home from the hospital and, with their love and support, he started the slow and difficult process of rehabilitation. It has not been an easy journey. In the two decades that have passed since his accident, Greg and his family have had to come to terms with the lifelong effects of the brain damage he suffered – including tremors, short-term memory loss, and behavior that includes angry outbursts and agitation. Greg was also subsequently diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Fortunately, Greg has health care coverage through Medicaid and Medicare. Together, these programs have covered almost all of Greg’s medical and prescription drug costs since the accident. He has relied on disability to cover his living expenses.

Now 40, Greg lives with his parents in Olympia. Over time, and with the help of medication, his quality of life has improved, and he has become more independent. Greg’s hope is to get a job so that he can become even more self-sufficient and one day live on his own.

Medicaid coverage of Greg’s six different prescriptions has been vital to his progress. The medication is essential to Greg’s ability to function, says his older sister, Erin. “It’s keeping his brain on an equilibrium so that he’s able to continue to learn and grow,” she says. “These medications are keeping him stable.”

Unfortunately, Greg also suffers from severe eczema. Unable to find an allergist who accepts Medicaid coverage, his family is paying out of pocket so that he can visit an allergist and hopefully get some relief.

Despite Medicaid’s challenges, Greg and his family are thankful for the role Medicaid plays in Greg’s recovery and path toward greater independence.

Pearl

Pearl dealt with significant hearing loss over the past few years. Her family said that she became increasingly depressed and isolated until they learned about a Medicaid benefit that would enable her to get free, new hearing aids.

Pearl

Submitted by: HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital

Southeastern Illinois

Pearl Davis, an 89 year old woman who lives in southeastern Illinois, has dealt with significant hearing loss over the past few years. Pearl first got hearing aids in 2004, but as she has aged, her hearing loss has gotten worse to the point that she needed new hearing aids. The cost of new hearing aids was too much for Pearl who has been living on a very limited fixed income since her husband passed away in 2004. Pearl’s daughter, Carlene, said that her mom was getting increasingly depressed and isolated as her hearing loss worsened. It got so bad that she couldn’t even communicate with her daughters over the phone. They had to write things down for her in order to effectively communicate with her. It was heart-breaking for all of them, especially since one of the daughters lives in a different state.

December 2018 was a pivotal month for the Davis family. It was then that Pearl and Carlene learned about a Medicaid benefit that would end up changing their lives. One of their friends told them that Pearl may be eligible to receive new hearing aids through Medicaid. Pearl and Carlene then came to HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland, Illinois, where they learned that this was in fact true.

Dr. Anne Byrnes, an audiologist at St. Joseph’s, helped the Davis family connect with this benefit. “When I first met Pearl, she just sat in the chair with her head down. We had to write on paper to communicate,” said Dr. Byrnes. “After we told her the hearing aids would be free through Medicaid, we all cried tears of joy. Once she got those hearing aids in, Pearl just blossomed & basked in the joy of being able to hear again. She could finally talk to her daughters again. She could laugh at jokes. She could chat with her friends in her assisted living community. Pearl received the gift of her hearing, the gift of getting her life back. It’s such a blessing, and I feel fortunate to have helped her with this.”

Pearl feels extremely grateful to Dr. Byrnes, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medicaid for this benefit. Carlene says these new hearing aids have drastically improved their lives, and they are so appreciative to have their mom back. “It’s life changing, and we can’t be more thankful,” said Carlene. “My mom’s smile has returned, and that’s something we’ve been missing for a long time. Our lives have been turned around completely thanks to Medicaid and St. Joseph’s Hospital.”

Randall

After blacking out on the side of the road when walking, Randall was found to have cancer. Unable to work, he was able to get his chemotherapy and treatment covered by Medicaid.

Chauntal

Just months after her 24th birthday, Chauntal was hit by a semi-truck and lost her left hand in the accident. She had recently aged out of eligibility through her parents’ coverage and had few affordable options for health insurance. As bills built up, she turned to Medicaid for coverage.

Chauntal

Submitted by: Providence St. Joseph Health

California

Just months after her 24th birthday, Chauntal Lewis was driving away from a friend’s house one morning when a semi-truck slammed into her car. She lost her left hand on impact and was rushed to a UCLA hospital, where surgeons tried for several hours to reattach her hand. “That day my life changed forever,” she reflects. “The doctor wept when she gave me the news that they were unsuccessful.”

At the time, Chauntal was pursuing a professional acting career in Los Angeles. She had always been in excellent health and, like most young adults, she assumed that would continue. She had recently aged out of eligibility through her parents’ coverage and had few affordable options for health insurance. As a result, on the day of that terrible accident, she arrived at the hospital gravely injured and uninsured.

As devastating as it was to lose her hand, Chauntal woke up after surgery grateful just to be alive. She dug deep for inner strength and continued pursuing her dreams with, she says, “the gift of perspective.”

But along the way, Chauntal faced serious struggles – physical, emotional, and financial.

From her first day in the hospital, the medical bills began piling up. Her treatment journey since the accident required several surgeries, hundreds of follow-up appointments, and numerous medications.

Without health insurance, Chauntal faced huge medical bills that she could not pay. Nor could she find a health insurance plan that would accept her. After the failure of a lawsuit to recover her medical costs, the debt collectors kept calling.

In the middle of this discouragement, Chauntal was surprised and thankful to learn she qualified for Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) which paid almost all of her medical bills dating back to her initial hospital stay after the accident. Medi-Cal coverage also allowed Chauntal to get follow-up surgery that she desperately needed to treat nerve damage in her left arm that gave her nearly constant pain.

“At that time, I had no other choice” than to enroll in Medi-Cal, she says. “No one else would accept me. Without Medi-Cal, I didn’t know if there was any other option to get that surgery, which was just life-changing.”

In the years since the accident, Chauntal has resumed her acting career, taken up marathon running, deepened her yoga practice, and developed a thriving business as a celebrity makeup artist. “Makeup artistry is so rewarding,” she says, “I just love making women feel beautiful.” Combined with a recurring role on the TV show General Hospital, and with running and yoga to stay balanced, life, she says, is good.

Medicaid stood in the gap for Chauntal while she rebuilt her life at a very vulnerable time.

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PSJH - Rhonda Medows, MD

Rhonda Medows, MD, FAAFP discusses Providence St. Joseph Health's belief that health is a human right and the importance of the Medicaid program. A former Medicaid recipient, Dr. Medows shares her childhood story of how her working parents depended on the program to provide the treatment she needed.

Nisaya

First-time mother Nisaya did not know where to go for good care, and only speaks Spanish. She found care at the Maternal Child Care Clinic of CHRISTUS Health in Port Arthur, Texas - a clinic that Medicaid made it possible to open.

David

In 2009 David collapsed at home and lay there until his daughter found him. He had suffered a stroke, which landed him in the hospital for two months, affected his right side and limited his ability to walk. “I don’t think I would have survived without having Medicaid’s helping hand,” says David. “It’s a lifeline for people like me.”

Julie

For 18 years, Julie loved working as a residency coordinator in the orthopedics department of a large teaching hospital in Syracuse, New York. Julie developed nerve damage from repetitive injury due to decades of typing. She lost her job and turned to Medicaid for health coverage.

Julie

Submitted by: Providence St. Joseph Health

Syracuse, New York

For 18 years, Julie loved working as a residency coordinator in the orthopedics department of a large teaching hospital in Syracuse, New York. It was more than just a job. She describes herself as the “den mother” to hundreds of orthopedic residents – physicians in training – at the hospital. She begins crying when she talks about them.

In 2016 Julie began experiencing excruciating pain in her right arm. It turned out to be nerve damage from repetitive injury due to decades of typing. She had surgery in August 2017 and was scheduled to be off work for three weeks.

Instead, it’s been more than a year. The nerve damage most likely is permanent, and Julie can no longer do this type of work.

After a year of being on medical disability through her employer, Julie was terminated because medically she couldn’t work. That’s when she started panicking. She also ended up on blood pressure medication because of the stress.

“I’m 52 years old, and I’ve worked hard my whole life,” she says, beginning at age 11 when she delivered newspapers six days a week. She had worked at the hospital in a variety of clerical roles for nearly 30 years.

After she lost her job, Julie applied for unemployment insurance and Medicaid. She began receiving her health coverage through Medicaid in July 2017.

“Everyone at Medicaid and my doctors’ offices has been so nice and compassionate. It’s been a godsend,” Julie says. She’s received care for preventive care through her primary doctor, but not for specialty care since not all doctors accept Medicaid.

“I really want to work. I can’t do office jobs, and I also have a medical restriction that says I can’t lift more than 10 to 20 pounds,” says Julie. “That’s been a deterrent in my job searches.” She’s applied for various positions but all have lifting requirements. She’s also taken advantage of vocational rehabilitation training to learn new work skills.

Meanwhile, she’s very grateful for Medicaid and is continuing to search for a job and new purpose in her life.

“I can’t do the same work I loved for so many years. But I still have one really strong arm and two strong legs.”

Jackie & Irene

When her mother’s chronic illnesses became worse and she couldn’t afford the growing medical bills, Jackie came to her help but it wasn't enough. "Having Medicaid coverage not only helped with our budget, but it also removed the stress and anxiety for my mom and me.”

Jackie & Irene

Submitted by: Providence St. Joseph Health

Anchorage, Alaska

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There’s not much Jackie wouldn’t do for her mom Irene. When Irene’s chronic illnesses became worse and she couldn’t afford the growing medical bills, Jackie jumped in to help.

“I could be in debt to help her and that’s OK, as long as I could still see my mom alive … for life is precious and we do our best to sustain that special gift,” says Jackie, who helped Irene, now 66, get access to care through various assistance programs. Jackie helped pay her mom’s medical bills for a while before costs overwhelmed the family budget.

For 10 years, Irene worked as a greeter at a large retailer in Anchorage before she had to quit in 2013 because of her health issues – including asthma, hypertension, diabetes, and a gastrointestinal condition called GERD. Before her job in retail, Irene had worked years ago in her native Philippines as a farmer and later owned a grocery store and restaurant. She was used to hard work.

When Irene’s health worsened, Jackie – a nurse and quality analyst at Providence Alaska Medical Center – did everything she could to piece together her mom’s health care. Starting in 2013, Jackie arranged for an installment plan to pay the medical bills, applied for medication assistance, and used coupons and discounts available from some drug companies. But that wasn’t enough.

Fortunately, Denali Care, Alaska’s Medicaid program, broadened eligibility in the fall of 2015, allowing Irene to qualify for coverage. “I had prayed for Medicaid,” says Jackie. “I can’t tell you how thankful we were for Mom to have it,” she says. For three years Irene received her care through Denali Care and now is covered through Medicare after qualifying at age 65. Today, Irene feels better, and her complex health conditions largely are under control.

“Those three years of having Medicaid coverage not only helped with our budget, but it also removed the stress and anxiety for my mom and me,” says Jackie. “Health care is a basic right. Someone who is healthier and has an improved life … this also improves the community.”

Marjorie

After a lifetime of raising three boys and working as a secretary and office manager, Medicaid allows 92-year-old Marjorie to receive the care she needs while maintaining independence.

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Light of Hearts Villa Residents

The Light of Hearts Villa assists residents and their families with applying for the Medicaid waiver program, which helps provide the residents quality care and less worries about their finances.

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Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City

"Almost every one of our pregnant clients looking to place their child for adoption is on Medicaid/Soonercare. This is important for the prenatal care that they can access, as well as having the means to cover the hospital delivery expenses prior to their relinquishment. The impact in terms of healthy moms, babies and delivery is huge."

Micah

Micah, age 3, has autism. Complex medical problems severely affected his speech, ability to eat and walk. Thanks to comprehensive treatment at Mercy Autism Center in St. Louis, Micah is making great progress. His mom Wynette is so grateful that her son looks at people now and has found ways to communicate with the family and do things that were never before possible.

Benedictine Living Community

The Benedictine Living Community of Duluth is a senior care facility where seventy-five percent of the residents end up on medical assistance. Senior care is costly, and Medicaid allows Benedictine to provide these seniors the respectful care they need in their later years.

Perry Family Health Center

The Perry Family Health Center of Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C. treats Medicaid patients ranging from single adults to families and elderly patients. Without Medicaid and the center, many important health services would no longer be available in the community.

Jacari and CHRISTUS Health

When he was four months old, Jacari's mother was told that he was not going to be able to walk or talk. He had many health issues and spent much time in hospitals. He is now a sophomore in high school, a sports trainer and honor roll student.

Tierra Gleeson, LMSW

Tierra N. Gleeson, LMSW, is a pediatric social worker at Mercy Hospital Saint Louis who understands the critical importance of the resources she can connect her clients to through the Medicaid program because as a child, her mother was better able to provide for Tierra’s needs as a Medicaid recipient.

Jennifer

At the age of 30, Jennifer was unexpectedly widowed with two young daughters. She had recently left work to complete an undergraduate degree and had relied on her husband's insurance, which they lost. Medicaid helped Jennifer and her kids receive affordable care until she found a job with health insurance.

Jill Radkowiec, OD

Following a family tragedy and while in optometry school, Jill Radkowiec had an unexpected pregnancy. While a joyous time for her and her husband, they needed to get on Medicaid for her to finish school and become a Medicaid provider herself.

Dr. James Bartelsmeyer

As a maternal and fetal specialist at Mercy Hospital Saint Louis, Dr. James A. Bartelsmeyer knows that healthy mothers can help ensure healthy babies and that having access to Medicaid is a crucial program for expectant mothers who might not elsewise be able to afford prenatal care.

Ryan and Rochelle

Working parents Ryan and Rochelle's salaries were not enough to cover prenatal and postpartum care. For a short time, mom and baby were insured by Medicaid, which gave them peace of mind and enough room in their small budget to meet basic needs.

Andreae

Andreae was a contract worker who didn’t have full coverage health benefits … it was the only time in her life that while working that she didn’t have insurance. When she got pregnant, she couldn’t afford prenatal care. That is, until Andreae went to the OB Care Center at SSM DePaul Medical Center in St. Louis that helped her get Medicaid coverage.

Sylvia

Sylvia suffered a massive stroke while only in her 50s. Sylvia ran a successful health care consulting business, traveled extensively, exercised regularly and thought she had great medical insurance. Until, that is, when stroke turned her world turned upside down overnight. When the cap on her private insurance ran out for services, a social worker referred her to Medicaid and the high-quality nursing care and assisted living at Providence Mount St. Vincent in Seattle. Today, she lives happily and productively thanks to coverage she has from Medicaid.

Harold

Former engineer Harold suffered a stroke in 2012. He had recently been laid off and had no insurance and turned to Medicaid, which became his lifeline for treatment.

Mother of a premature baby

A mother tells the story of her son who was born 10 weeks early with severe complications. When her husband's salary and insurance could not cover medical bills, they turned to Medicaid. Today, her son is healthy and graduating from college as a teacher.

Don and Elizabeth

Don Paul and his older sister Elizabeth share a close bond. They are both grateful for Medicaid services that helped him battle addiction and stay clean and sober.

Nathasha

If nine-year-old Nathasha falls asleep without being connected to the proper medical equipment, she will die. Even though she has two working parents, without the help of their Medi-Cal coverage (California's Medicaid program), her family would not be able to afford the daily care she needs to stay alive.

Nathasha

Submitted by: Providence St. Joseph Health

California

By Nisha Morris

My 9-year-old daughter, Nathasha gets lifesaving care thanks to a California Medi-Cal waiver. She has a very rare (about 1,000 in the world) genetic condition which causes her to stop breathing when she sleeps. When she’s awake, she’s breathing. When she is asleep, she needs help to breathe. It’s a complicated medical condition: cchsnetwork.org

As her parents, our reality is that if Nathasha falls asleep without being connected to the right medical equipment, she will die. Every. Single. Day. I’m not complaining. As a mom, I’ve gone through the process of mourning-accepting-embracing and finally empowering.

My husband and I do well. He has his own business. I have a great career. We are both highly educated. We have great health insurance – we pay our premiums, deductibles, out of pocket costs for doctor visits, and more. We don’t take advantage of the system.

We are not poor. But we are vulnerable.

Nathasha’s condition is such that we cannot keep her alive on our own. Randy and I rely on Medi-Cal for her nursing support and medical equipment because our insurance doesn’t cover these major expenses. The cost is just too big for us – or pretty much anyone.

It’s through federally funded programs like in-home support services that she is able to live a more independent life – attend school, play with friends, go places. The help we receive through nursing support fills the gap when we feel like we can’t go on anymore. We’re up six or seven times every night answering breathing alarms. In the morning, when our nurses arrive, we debrief them on Nathasha’s medical issues during the night and then head out to begin our "normal" work routine.

Our nurses are a very important piece to Nathasha's health and well- being.

We are a real family that has real needs. If we lost the support from Medi-Cal, we would adjust. One of us will quit our job, and stay home to care for Nathasha. We will sell our home, our cars and other assets without hesitation. It's not about our lifestyle. It's about our daughter's health. Medicaid matters.

Huan Zhang

Huan’s family never knew about Medicaid, until both parents lost their jobs at the same time, losing their insurance to protect themselves and their three daughters. Even though both parents were highly educated (a Ph.D. and two Masters degrees), and every family member was very active, often playing soccer or participating in marathons, they knew the security of medical insurance was important. Medicaid made it possible to restore the Zhang’s sense of security, by providing their high school and elementary school age kids with primary care, an allergist, and dental visits.

Nancy

When Nancy fell 40 feet down a flight of stairs two decades ago, she was thankful for her health insurance, which helped pay for many surgeries and long recovery. Once she no longer had health insurance through her work, and she turned to Medicare and then to Medicaid to treat her chronic pain and stay healthy.

Stefanie

It’s been a long, painful road for Stefanie who lost her husband, James, to ALS. She was his full-time caregiver for more than three years. When he died, Stefanie was left to deal with both her grief and loss of her own health coverage.

Tress

When Tress was unemployed and looking for work, she worried about how to find a job and make ends meet. Thanks to Medicaid, she was able to receive quality care for her Type II diabetes until she was able gain full-time employment.

Heidi Sallee, MD

Pediatrician Heidi Sallee, MD shares how Medicaid makes it possible for hardworking parents to get the care they need for healthy children and how children’s hospitals rely on Medicaid to support cutting edge research and treatments that benefit everyone.

Robin

Submitted by: Providence St. Joseph Health

Oregon

It’s hard to put a price on your eyesight, but to Robin, 67, it’s the best gift she’s ever received. Thanks to Medicaid, she was able to get cataract surgery on both eyes and was no longer at risk of losing her vision.

From age 62 to 65, Robin relied on Medicaid, which covered her general health care and preventive needs. But her primary worry was cataracts and her failing eyesight. “I lived in dread of not being able to drive,” she says.

Fortunately for Robin, Medicaid covered the costs of cataract surgery in both eyes – for which she is profoundly grateful. “After I had the cataracts removed, my world opened up again,” she says. Severely myopic since age 7, she no longer relies on thick glasses or contacts.

Robin’s work history is in administrative positions, ending as a fundraising writer/researcher for nonprofit organizations. Her job was eliminated during the 2008 recession, and for five years she applied for temporary, full- and part-time positions, with little success.

After losing her employment-based medical insurance, Robin had difficulty accessing and paying for affordable health insurance because of a pre-existing heart condition and was paying off thousands of dollars in medical bills. It was during this time that her cataracts began to develop, which jeopardized her ability to work.

Robin finally moved to Oregon in 2013 to live with her sister. She managed on Social Security checks, some retirement savings, and her sister’s generosity and support.

In 2014 as she was applying for coverage through the Affordable Care Act, Robin learned she was eligible for Medicaid. She feels grateful for the quality of care she received under Medicaid. “I have probably never felt so unconditionally well cared for in my adult life,” she says. “In fact, I felt special. I knew I was getting the best quality of care.”

Today, Robin works part time doing administrative work for a health care agency’s wellness programs. Medicaid was a key factor in improving Robin’s overall quality of life. “Having Medicaid allowed me to focus on other parts of my life that I needed to strengthen,” she says.

Medicaid Makes it Possible

Families and caregivers from across the country discuss the positive impact Medicaid has had on their lives.