Louis Bonilla: A New Lease on Life, Thanks to Medicaid & Medicare

Louis Bonilla has been a resident at Complete Care Nursing Home in Brick, New Jersey, for the past four years. After a series of health crises nearly took everything from him, Louis credits Medicaid and Medicare for saving his life

A former musician and lifelong music lover, Louis spent 30 years working for the Musicland Group, the company behind stores like Sam Goody and Coconuts, but when the business closed in 2010, a casualty of the digital age, Louis found work at a nearby 7-Eleven.

It was around this time that he was diagnosed with diabetes, and though he was warned not to smoke, he admits, “I enjoyed it too much.” He was living in Drum Point Arms in Brick, New Jersey, having recently gone through a divorce, when he received devastating news: he had gangrene in his left foot.

“The infection spread so quickly that they couldn’t save my leg,” Louis explains. He lost part of his left leg from the knee down. During this time, doctors also discovered he had a serious heart condition. Two stents were inserted to open clogged arteries, but the surgeries had to be split up because of the severity of his condition.

Then came more bad news. Gangrene had also developed in his right foot, and doctors had to remove all his toes. In just six months, Louis underwent four operations and spent two years in wound care due to poor circulation. He was bedridden for six months, relying on IVs and around-the-clock medical support. “It was terrible. It was a real bad time for me,” he recalls.

Today, thanks to the care and medications he continues to receive through Medicaid and Medicare, he has regained a sense of stability, “gave me a second lease on life,” he says, “That’s a wonderful thing.”

Now, Louis gives back by serving as President of the Resident Council at Complete Care. Elected in January of last year. In this position he works closely with the Community Engagement Program, and helped form the coalition New Jersey Nursing Home Residents United, whose goal is to advocate awareness for all Nursing Home Residents. These initiatives are supported by the Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Team in Trenton, N.J. In his position, Louis is dedicated to keeping everyone informed about changes to Medicaid, the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA), and other vital programs.

“Medicaid saves lives, and we all rely on it,” he says. “It would be a devastating change for all of us if these congressional cuts pass. I just hope they don’t pass this. Please do the right thing and do not pass this bill.”