Christian Peoples: Cutting Through the Red Tape for Her Children

Christian Peoples lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her two children, both of whom have been diagnosed with autism. All three of them rely on Medicaid to access health care coverage, which has been an immense help through tough times. “It’s amazing to know that you have the resources to get through some things that are hard in life.”

Medicaid helps Christian’s children access services to keep them safe and healthy, “They receive therapy and so the school itself helps in more than just them learning,” she shared, “They also receive other resources as far as the transportation that gets you to and from doctor’s appointments, school, and then just everyday basic needs.”

When work reporting requirements to qualify for Medicaid go into effect, families like Christian’s could struggle to keep their essential coverage. Any changes to her children’s stability would force her to take time away from her job. “If my daughter starts to have seizures and I can’t work, then Medicaid is very important. I have to be able to make sure she can get her medicines, make sure she’s able to make her appointments to see the specialist and all of that stuff,” she said.

Although Christian is open to some changes in the Medicaid program, she knows that without it, people may struggle to meet the needs of their children. This is especially concerning for children with specialized care needs like hers. She explained, “If you take it from my child, I don’t know that I can give my children all of what they need … There can be different stipulations or changes to make sure people are getting what they need and also help save money without completely taking it from who needs it.”

With more frequent eligibility checks and red tape being added to the process for obtaining and maintaining Medicaid, Christian believes it would be helpful to make applications and management for Medicaid accessible online, “I feel like they’re not sending the paperwork out early enough… and then we get [coverage] late and now we don’t have insurance. I feel like that’s a barrier for some people because it’s like you’re not even giving me a fair chance to keep my insurance.”

She also thinks that states should be clearer with what services their Medicaid benefits can cover and how to use them, adding, “The resources are out there and of course you have to advocate for yourself, but sometimes… people don’t know where to start… sometimes it does take others to help a person to get what they need.”

Christian hopes that her elected representatives listen to stories like hers when they’re considering cuts or changes to the Medicaid program. “Don’t just take it away from the people who need it… Make a connection where you can find out how important it is to people.”