Schmeeka Simpson: One Mother’s Story of Survival, Opportunity and Hope

Schmeeka Simpson, a 44-year-old mother of three, grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Now living in Omaha, she works with the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table and serves as the policy fellow at the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation. In her roles, she helps shape advocacy efforts and community agendas. But long before her career in civic leadership began, Simpson’s early years were shaped by Medicaid. “My mother was a single mom of four girls,” she said, “After her divorce from my father, we were, for the first time, on state assistance.” Schmeeka credits this coverage as the reason she is still alive today.

Facing further hardship in her childhood, Simpson was placed in group homes and detention facilities across Nebraska. “I grew up in the school-to-prison pipeline,” she shared, “Medicaid is the only reason why I still had access to any kind of medical resources as I was being shuffled around as a state ward.”

Years later, in 2014, Schmeeka moved herself to Omaha, started a family with her husband, but after her divorce, she found herself utilizing Medicaid once again. She cites this coverage as key in maintaining a healthy lifestyle for her children, making it possible for her to take them to dental appointments and doctor visits, access free diapers and obtain developmental assessments for her children. Even further, when her daughter suffered a severe accident, Medicaid covered her surgery, follow-up therapy, medical devices and wound care supplies. “Medicaid has been instrumental in making sure that the prescriptions were filled and that the resources I needed to keep my children healthy and happy as much as possible were available.”

Simpson also credits Medicaid for helping her pursue higher education. As a low-income single mother, she attended Creighton University through an alternative program that helps individuals like Schmeeka balance their family responsibilities with their academic goals. “Through that program, I was able to make sure that my children’s medical bills were paid and taken care of so I could pursue my degree, which has now helped me to be able to transition, for the most part, off of Medicaid.”

Schmeeka has since earned two bachelor’s degrees, one in business administration and the other in health administration and management.

Now sometimes juggling three or more jobs, she still makes below the federal living wage recommendations. She receives health coverage through her employer. Medicaid is still supposed to be supplementing her family’s medical care but insurance red tape prevents many of her claims from going through. She believes the program should continue to support people as they move into the workforce, helping them avoid crushing medical debt. “The whole goal would to be to allow people not to have to rack up large medical bills as they work,” she said. Simpson added that she believes her tax dollars “should go directly back to the people to help ensure that they have the resources that are needed for us to be sustaining citizens and to keep working and give back to the communities that need it.”

Simpson urges lawmakers to remember who they serve. “I would like our representatives to know that this government is for the people by the people. And that means that everything that you are doing should be done on behalf of the best interest of the people.”

She pointed out that Medicaid supports a wide cross-section of Americans. “There are disabled people on Medicaid, foster children on Medicaid. All of these people make up this great nation that we call the United States.” She warned that without health care, the nation cannot thrive. “There is no way to be great while our people are sick, while our people are in huge amounts of medical debt, while people are scrambling to fill prescriptions.”

Simpson closed with a direct plea: “Please listen to the people that elected you, listen to the people that need these resources, and please act on behalf of the people… The people need to be able to have access to health care and resources so that we can be in a healthy state and a healthy nation and truly be united.”