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Medicaid

Amarin Reyny: DID, Disability and a Health Care Lifeline Under Threat

Card Image Amarin Reyny lives in a group home for disabled people in Maine where direct support professionals provide care 24/7 to help them with daily needs. They depend entirely on MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, to cover nearly all their medical care and support services. 

Medicaid

Dr. Jessica Lee: The Fight for Medicaid-Funded Services

Card Image Dr. Jessica Lee, a child clinical psychologist, specializes in working with neurodivergent individuals, including those with autism and ADHD. She provides therapy, evaluations and consultations as part of an interdisciplinary team for diverse, underserved youth and families. She also leads community outreach through a Department of Developmental Services (DDS) grant to support underserved racial and ethnic minority families. Medicaid budget cuts will severely limit the care Dr. Lee can provide.

Medicaid

Kelly Reed: Helping Her Daughter Thrive With Community Health Services

Card Image Kelly's daughter Katelyn was born with Down Syndrome. Their family was able to access critical care like speech and physical therapy early in Katelyn's life from community programs that are largely funded by Medicaid. Without these services, Katelyn wouldn't have had the chance to thrive and her family would be financially ruined.

Medicaid

Paul Miller: Medicaid Gives Me the Freedom to Be Me

Card Image Paul’s life has been defined by resilience. He grew up in a family of nine siblings. His father, a senior project manager in fluid mechanics at General Motors, worked until they wouldn’t let him anymore. Now in his late 60s, Paul still intends to work past 70. It is through the support of federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security that Paul has been able to continue working since he qualified for disability in 1994. But Paul’s access to Medicaid has not always been stable.

Medicaid

Jennifer Marion: How Medicaid Helps Jennifer Live with MS

Card Image An Iowa resident, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007 at just 26 years old, Jennifer Marion's journey began with a terrifying symptom: sudden vision loss in her left eye. Though her sight eventually returned, MS has continued to shape her life in invisible but profound ways. 

Medicaid

The Marcel Family: A Plea to Protect the Care That Protects Joel

Card Image Kay Marcel lives in Urbandale, Iowa, where she and her husband have spent a lifetime ensuring their son Joel can live a full, safe, and meaningful life. Joel is 46 years old and has Down syndrome, along with several health conditions that require daily monitoring and consistent care. 

Medicaid

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

Card Image 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.

Medicaid

Gail Smith: The Cost of Cuts to Medicaid in Our Nursing Homes

Card Image Gail Smith lives in a nursing home in Somerset County, New Jersey, where Medicaid has sustained her here and in another facility for the past four years. “It’s been a lifeline for me,” she shared. After a near-fatal health crisis in 2021, she lost a kidney and now depends on two teams of specialists to monitor her condition closely.

Medicaid

Sharon Watson: “Because of Medicaid, My Son Can Dream of a Future”

Card Image After her young son experienced a life-threatening seizure, Sharon Watson’s world was turned upside down. With the help of Medicaid, her family was able to access lifesaving care, rebuild their lives, and advocate for a future where every child has the right to survive—and thrive.

Private Insurance

Adrienne R: How a Surprise Facility Fee Left Her Fighting the System

Card Image Adrienne, a Pennsylvania resident and mother of two, never expected a simple diagnostic procedure to lead to over a year of financial and emotional distress. In February 2024, she underwent a thyroid biopsy at a hospital she knew well, the hospital where she gave birth to both of her children and one she visits frequently for appointments. Everything about the process felt routine—until the bill arrived.

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