Medicaid Matters

As the Executive Director of a free clinic in rural southern Michigan, I see patients every week that would benefit from the Medicaid expansion. We see individuals who are working - but have no healthcare; those looking for work; and those who have given up the search for work.

We see individuals with disabilities who have no healthcare, because they "make too much" to qualify for Medicaid. When I first learned that people receiving disability income did not have healthcare, I was appalled. How can it be that we deny healthcare to those in the most need?

It is not uncommon for our patients to hold two or three jobs, but have no healthcare. Many places of employment will only hire part-time help, in order to avoid having to provide benefits, including healthcare.

We all benefit from increased coverage for healthcare.  Healthier individuals make for a healthier society.  We are able to help people stay employed when we provide medications necessary to control chronic health conditions.

On a typical Tuesday evening at St. Peter’s Free Clinic, the following patients may be seen. Sue, who has a cough and fever, is worried about losing her job if she calls in sick, and she has no health insurance. Lynn is a 50 year old widow, who has been having heart problems since before her husband died, and now has no health insurance. And, Jim, who due to multiple health problems, has recently lost his job and along with it his health insurance, and has no idea where to go for help. While he was at the Clinic he not only received health care and medications, but was given a list of community resources to help him access other needed services and a small box of food to feed him that night.

But we are only here one night a week. With Medicaid, these people will have access to healthcare WHEN they need it, not when we are here. No one should have to put off getting the healthcare they need for a week because the clinic is only open once a week.

According to a report from the Institute of Medicine, uninsured Americans get about half the medical care of those with health insurance. As a result, they tend to be sicker and to die sooner. About 18,000 unnecessary deaths occur each year because of lack of health insurance.

We see it too often. Now is the time to act, and prevent some of these unnecessary deaths.