Frank Ogrodowski: Medicaid Gives My Sister a Chance to Thrive

Frank Ogrodowski a 35-year-old of Brick, New Jersey, helps care for his younger sister Jenna, a 27-year-old living with Down syndrome. From birth, Jenna has faced extraordinary challenges, including a hole in her heart that required five open heart surgeries before she was even two years old. Her heart remains fragile, and her care requires ongoing attention from cardiologists and other specialists. “She relies heavily on Medicaid for her cardiologist appointments and for most of her doctor’s appointments,” Frank said. 

Apart from her primary doctor, which is covered by Medicare, Medicaid pays for her frequent hospital visits, routine procedures, and critical dental care. “She frequently sees a ton of specialists…has procedures and hospital stays,” Frank explained. “She uses it even for her dental, which is super important for her with her heart condition. Even if she gets a tiny little tooth infection, that travels to her bloodstream. That very well could be it for her. It’s very dangerous.” 

Beyond her health care needs, Medicaid also enables Jenna to participate in programs that help her maintain independence and improve her quality of life. Through the New Jersey Department of Developmental Disabilities, she has access to continued learning, socialization and essential life skills support. “She has the choice of a home caretaker. She is able to do programs like her day program. She also does horseback riding twice a week,” Frank said. “It helps with her confidence and her balance and coordination. It’s like a physical therapy for her.” 

Frank said his family is grateful for the coverage. “We’re just happy that she can get the care that she needs,” he said. Without Medicaid, paying for her regular care would be impossible. “She would have no way to pay for that. We simply don’t have the means for it.” 

He considers Medicaid essential. “Medicaid, very simply, saves lives. It has saved my sister’s life and without it, she wouldn’t be here,” he said. “To play around and even entertain the idea of cutting these amounts of money from the Medicaid program is playing with people’s lives. People are not congressional bargaining chips.” 

Frank also pushed back on the idea that the program is being abused. “There’s so much talk around how people are abusing the system and about how we have to make sure these leeches are kicked off, to make sure that people who really need it, get it,” he said. “But by cutting $880 billion from Medicaid, you are ensuring that the people who really do need it, do not get it.” 

To his representatives, Frank wants to say: “If you care about your constituents, you really need to take a step back and figure out what exactly it is that you’re doing and really take a good hard look about the actions that you’re taking.”