Mary Shaw: A Life Saved By Medicaid Expansion

Mary Shaw is 68 years old and has lived her entire life in Nebraska. She grew up in a rural area in a small town, spent her early years on a farm, and now resides in Norfolk, which, to her, feels like a city. 

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary found herself without health insurance and in urgent need of a hip replacement. 

“I was stuck at home, not able to walk or even have transportation,” she recalled. “As soon as I was able to get on Medicaid, I started the process so I could have my hip fixed.” 

Thankfully, that was also the year Nebraska expanded Medicaid. For Mary, this timing was critical. Her husband, a disabled veteran, had passed away, and she was left not only grieving but also struggling financially and physically. She couldn’t afford to see a doctor or fill her prescriptions. “Medicaid expansion service, I think, saved my life,” she said. “I was in a very dark place… When each step is painful, you just don’t know what to do. I couldn’t afford to go to the doctor.” 

Once enrolled, she was able to address serious health issues that had gone untreated. “When I got Medicaid, I found out my blood pressure was dangerously high, so I had to get that under control…and then I was able to go through the process of getting my hip fixed and not be in pain with each step. So just my own mental health is so much improved compared to even the physical, too. It made life worth trying.”  She also began catching up on preventive care—routine checkups, vaccinations, thyroid tests, and skin cancer screenings. In the past, without coverage, she’d lost part of her nose to skin cancer because she couldn’t find a doctor willing to treat her. 

Beyond the physical improvements, the coverage gave her a renewed sense of dignity and belonging. “When my husband passed, I suddenly felt like I wasn’t a viable member of society anymore, and nobody cared about me,” she said. “But you can still contribute and be worthwhile, even if it’s just for your grandbabies.” 

Mary now has three surviving grandchildren and is hoping for great-grandchildren soon. She credits Medicaid with helping her stay healthy enough to be present in their lives. 

To policymakers considering cuts to Medicaid or Medicaid expansion, her message is clear: “It’s just down to compassion.”