When you take away hope and opportunity for families to succeed, you weaken families, communities, and our nation as a whole. It breaks my heart that this nation passed a bill that will significantly cut Medicaid…a program that literally saved my life at one point. In Tennessee, it’s called Tenncare. When my husband left when the kids were younger, the health insurance was in his name. The court ordered him to continue to cover the kids, but he quit his job so he wouldn’t have to. I had to scramble to find a full-time job so I could cover healthcare for the three of us. I did, but…a few years down the road, my kids and my aging parents with dementia needed me. I took several part-time jobs so I could have a more flexible schedule, working 50 hours a week, but with the flexibility to schedule around appointments.

We were without healthcare until I enrolled in Tenncare. I was working three part-time jobs and was a primary caregiver for my children and a parent with Alzheimer’s. I wasn’t lazy (as the label seems easy to toss around by those wanting to end the program)…I wasn’t a “deadbeat” (word I hear a lot when I listen to the wealthy talking about why we should end certain programs)…I was “pulling myself up by my own boot straps” (another phrase often carelessly tossed at people in need) and was “being financially independent.” I paid taxes, paid my bills, and took care of my family while my ex-husband fought child support and quit jobs rather than pay it. Tenncare saved us…we got medical care when I needed to be present for my family. I’m not still on it. I was only on it for about three years until I bought my own insurance through the Affordable Care Act and then was able to go back to work full-time rather than work multiple part-time jobs.

What did I do with my life on Tenncare:

*worked 50 hours a week on three part-time jobs,
*raised my two kids as a single mom,
*took care of my aging parents…both eventually with Alzheimer’s.

What do my friends who rely on Medicaid for their families do:

*work,
*raise children with disabilities or face their own disabilities,
*take care of aging parents (which can run $200-800 dollars a day every day depending on their diagnosis).

Those who voted for this bill want to use language that implies Medicaid is a handout for people who don’t deserve it. Look at the truth of what Medicaid does. It saves lives…it builds stronger families…it offers hope in challenging times. So sad that we as a nation will turn our backs on those in need.