Medicaid Stories
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Medicaid is David’s lifeline after a stroke
Oregon
David has a lot to live for. At age 69, he has six adult children, 20 grandkids and 11 great-grandkids. He also has his beloved martial arts that he began practicing in his 20s and still continues today ...
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Life after a devastating car crash
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 ...
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Medicaid gives my son the care he needs
Alaska
I am a single mom to a wonderful little boy who has special health needs and has been to his fair share of doctor visits, plus a hospital stay. For most of his life he has had Medicaid coverage, even when I didn’t have health insurance myself ...
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There is no way I could afford cancer treatment without Medicaid
Washington
Lewis always felt fortunate to have health insurance through his employer during the years he worked as a truck driver in Seattle and Olympia, Wash.
Now 70, Lewis is retired and living in Walla Walla in eastern Washington, where he enjoys the sunnier climate and slower pace. But a couple of years ago ...
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After two cancer bouts, Laura owes her life to Medicaid
Washington
Who knew that doing laundry would one day result in not one, but two, painful bouts of cancer? Laura, now 50, lives in Walla Walla, Wash., and for seven years washed her then-husband’s clothes every day. She had no idea that his work-related asbestos exposure would transfer from his clothes to her body ...
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Medicaid rescues Stefanie after husband’s death
California
It’s been a long, painful road for Stefanie who lost her husband, James, to ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in November 2017. She was his full-time caregiver for more than three years and also supported him during earlier treatment for cancer ...
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Nancy gets help for chronic pain thanks to Medicaid
Oregon
When Nancy fell 40 feet down a flight of stairs at work nearly two decades ago, she was thankful for her health insurance. That coverage helped pay for her many surgeries and long recovery ...
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Medicaid gave me new hope, new tools for diabetes
Oregon
When Tress was unemployed and looking for work, she worried about how to find a job and make ends meet. One thing she didn’t have to worry about was her health care ...
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It was a relief to get the care I needed
California
Reflecting back on childhood years he says, “There was no silver spoon in my mouth. My mom worked part-time jobs to take care of my older sister and me.” The family relied on public assistance to fill the gaps, and on Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) for health care ...
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Kate never expected to be on Medicaid
Oregon
Kate, a 43-year-old mother of two, is grateful for Medicaid coverage during a difficult time in her life. With a master’s in art administration from the Sorbonne in Paris, she lived in France for many years, where health care is inexpensive and available to everyone. When she moved to Portland, Oregon, for a job in the art world ...
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After painful memories, she is back on track
Alaska
When Samantha’s marriage ended, the 38-year-old not only lost the assets she shared with her husband, but the medical coverage she received through his benefits ...
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Medicaid was a gift to our family
Alaska
When my son was born, he was 10 weeks early and needed immediate delivery to survive. It was 23 years ago and he developed some severe complications. He was very tiny and was in the neonatal intensive care unit for three months ...
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Medicaid is a life saver for us
Oregon
My husband has been ill for years, and no one seems to know what's wrong. We suspect Parkinson's disease, but the road to diagnosis is long. We've been waiting for disability for over a year, and have at least another six months to go ...
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Life after an unexpected catastrophic illness
Washington
Sylvia took excellent care of herself with a nutritious diet and daily exercise. She was dating a great guy, Steve, a former Marine and fellow fitness buff. Life was pretty much ideal, until she suffered a massive stroke ...
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A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders
Montana
The day Sue lost her job, she lost her health insurance. That was several years ago, and she was thankful for the local community health center, Partnership Health Center, where she found a new provider. She landed some new work and when Montana opened a health insurance marketplace, she bought a policy. Still, the premium cost was a struggle ...
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He depends on Medicaid for his very life
Washington
My 70-year-old brother-in-law ran his own business for years in Washington and Alaska. Ten months ago, he suffered an accident that caused high-spinal-cord injury. He's now a quadriplegic. He will soon have spent down all his life's savings, and will depend on Medicaid for his very life – his respirator, his 24-hour nursing care ...
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Medicaid was such a blessing
Montana
My husband and I are self-employed and have a modest but productive business. Last year we were in between jobs with little income when I suddenly and unexpectedly became very sick. We make enough to get by, and are prudent savers, but an emergency like this was beyond our capability to pay ...
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We cannot keep our daughter alive on our own
California
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 ...
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Peace of mind for a healthy start in life
California
At age 27, Ryan had already directed and produced several films. Their move to LA gave him the opportunity to learn more, starting with freelance projects. Rochelle found work as a first grade teacher at a private school for girls. Her salary was on the low side, but they got by. Neither had health care insurance ...
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A safety net to help a young family through tragedy
Washington
At the age of 30, Jennifer was unexpectedly widowed. The future was suddenly uncertain for her and two young daughters, who were then ages 9 and 3. Six months earlier, Jennifer and her husband Lance were looking at a very different life ahead. They decided that she would pursue her dream of ...
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One second at a time: Addiction is a battle no one should fight alone
New Mexico
Ever since he was little, my younger brother has always been one of the smartest and most charismatic people I know. His smile can light up any room. As children in New Mexico, we were close with two very loving parents. At the time I went off to college, Don had been struggling with depression, and as some ...
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A second chance at life
Alaska
When Drew signed up for health insurance a few years ago through the Affordable Care Act, it was the first time the 58-year-old had coverage since he was a kid. “Signing up is what made me start taking care of myself,” he said, still recovering from many years battling drug use and dependency ...
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It wasn’t supposed to happen to us
Texas
We intended to visit our grandchildren, and cherish the pleasure of each other’s company in our twilight years. Then I received a call from a deputy with the sheriff’s office. John had gotten lost while driving home. Leading up to that day, there had been signs. He was experiencing forgetfulness. Words escaped him. He occasionally struggled with ...
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After a devastating stroke, he wanted independence
Oregon
One spring day in 2012, Harold was heading to the grocery store when he says “everything went black.” He passed out and lay on the sidewalk until an elderly couple found him. He was taken to a Portland hospital and learned he’d had a major stroke ...
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Medicaid helps a working mom-to-be
Washington
A financial counselor reflects on helping a working mom get Medicaid coverage in Washington state ...
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Medicaid covers the gap for frail senior
Washington
Mom will be 88 in December. Wow! It’s hard to believe she has lived such a long life. We’ve seen a significant change in the last 5 years as she began struggling with memory issues, and was finally diagnosed with dementia ...
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