A beyond-terrifying thought
By Heather T., Rosemont, Minnesota
Medical insurance has always been a priority for my husband and me. We were young parents, but we knew we needed insurance and never went without. We thought we were good — our kids might get sick, we figured, but we could handle it. Well, the kids did get sick. And then they got sick again.
We hung in there until our oldest son fell — that’s when things started falling apart. He was then diagnosed with a variety of neurological issues, including a form of spina bifida, a condition that affects the spinal cord. It was overwhelming. One neurosurgery turned into over 20 surgeries, and somewhere along the way the hospital social workers told us we were about to reach the cap of our private insurance.

Just like that, in a totally normal life, you go from getting along to deciding between life-saving surgery for your child and paying for food and a place to live.
Luckily, in Minnesota, there is a part of Medicaid that is a disability insurance for kids, which we were able to enroll in. We no longer had to worry about hospital bills. Our son had surgery about every two months until he turned five. Things started to stabilize and he’s only had a few since.
After our son’s medical issues were diagnosed, we found out our daughter was facing similar conditions. She also required surgery, as well as extensive physical and occupational therapy. Her situation was similar to our son’s, and soon we needed to enroll her in secondary insurance as well.
A few years later, we adopted two children from the foster care system. They both have serious mental health conditions and receive the treatment they need through Medicaid.
All four of my kids will rely on Medicaid forever. They’re going to need insurance without caps, coverage despite pre-existing conditions, and access to mental health care.

News reports about the Obamacare repeal have caused me and my husband to lose tons of sleep. We’ve had lots of conversations, because for our children, it could really be a matter of life and death. The thought of losing insurance is beyond terrifying. I don’t know what they’ll do. We still have private insurance through my husband in addition to Medicaid, and we work hard to keep them covered for now. But heaven forbid he loses his job. And what happens when they get older and they’re forced to come off of our insurance?
My husband and I need to know that there is going to be something in place to help them. Without quality insurance, they’re going to either end up on the street, in institutions, or dead. If Obamacare is repealed, they’re not going to be OK. They’re just not.
Originally published at www.ofa.us.

