Sarah: Cuts to Medicaid Will Devastate Rural Families

Sarah lives in rural Oregon, where her family relies on Medicaid to survive. Her 19-year-old son is autistic, has ADHD, and lives with working memory impairment and slow processing. Basic tasks, like remembering to take medicine or drink water, require constant, hands-on support.

Three years ago, Sarah became disabled due to multiple autoimmune and neuromuscular diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto’s. Now in a wheelchair, she can no longer provide her son with the one-on-one care he needs. “I’m not able to do the physically present things with my son anymore. He’s a big guy.” she explained.

To fill the gap, her husband stepped in as her son’s Medicaid-funded support worker, while also continuing his work in construction. Even with both jobs, the family still struggles to make ends meet. “I feel my husband’s position as the care worker will probably be one of the first things cut.” Sarah said, “And that’s devastating for us, both financially, but also that means my husband will have to get another job outside the home. I don’t know if I can take care of my son by myself, physically.”

Her son’s education also depends on Medicaid. He attends a virtual charter school and receives services through his IEP, all funded by Medicaid. Sarah hadn’t known these supports were even an option until a policy change under the Biden administration made them eligible. She said that for the first time in years, “I felt like I could breathe,” she said, recalling the moment they finally got access to help.

But life in a rural area adds even more strain. Their nearest hospital has closed, and the closest specialists are more than two hours away. Sarah and her son rely on virtual appointments for a large portion of their care, but without Medicaid, those services would vanish. “If I was in the hospital and my husband had to be with me and there’s no one to take care of him, what happens?” she said, “It will really harm our family.”

Sarah’s health challenges are serious and constant. To manage her conditions, she takes multiple medications, many of which have already tripled in price due to recent Medicare changes. “I can’t catch a break,” she said. “I have been very, very, very sick.”

Sarah worries about what would happen to her son if she and her husband were suddenly unable to care for him. “Medicaid would pay for my son to be in a home if something happened to us,” she said, “It’s terrifying to think of him being alone. He might be 19, but he could not survive.”

Despite these challenges, her son has big dreams. He’s a talented artist who collaborates online with peers to create animations, and he’s just weeks away from graduating high school. With continued support, he could turn his creativity into a career. Without it, Sarah fears he’ll end up on disability with little independence. “Caregiving is a job,” Sarah said. “And people should get paid for their labor. My husband can’t get a third job. There’s only so much time in the day.”

Sarah is terrified about what the future holds if Medicaid is cut. “Without it, I honestly don’t know what his chances are. I do know what his chances are—not great,” she said, “I’m just terrified,”

Sarah’s story is a powerful reminder: Medicaid is essential. It supports not just health care, but also education, employment, dignity, and family survival, especially in rural communities with nowhere else to turn. Cutting it would be devastating.