Medicaid & Healthcare Justice
Just some brief thoughts based on my own experiences.
I still vividly remember the anxiety I felt in the months leading up to my 26th birthday. Like many other Americans, I was worried about what would happen when I got kicked off my parents' health insurance. I had just been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that I needed medications for. I was dealing with extreme amounts of fatigue that I wanted to get to the bottom of. I needed to have my thyroid monitored to make sure the medication was working. I couldn't imagine dealing with all of this without health insurance.
I looked through my options and eventually realized Medicaid would be the best. I was lucky that I was able to get Medicaid coverage, because in the years that followed I would have even more health challenges. Thanks to Medicaid I was able to access physical therapy for the worsening chronic pain I was experiencing due to joint issues. Not having to pay co-pays for my appointments or medications was a relief. I even went to therapy remotely again, something I had not done in years. The reminders I received for things like vaccinations were really helpful as well.
It is important to note all of the good that Medicaid brings to our country. The ways that cuts to Medicaid would harm everyone are absolutely worth noting. But I wish it were enough for everyone that people will die or suffer without it. I wish that more people who have no experience with Medicaid would speak out about what will happen if people lose access to it.
I feel the anxiety I felt in 2019 all over again. Only this time I don't just feel it for myself, but for everyone who will be impacted, especially those much more vulnerable than I am. I feel angry that our heartless politicians are able to control our access to healthcare, something we literally need to survive. I feel angry that this is happening just so billionaires can make more money.
If cuts are made to Medicaid, we will have to do everything we can to fight back, just as we will have to do for all other forms of injustice. Healthcare justice impacts every single marginalized group in this country. Please, be ready to resist this oppression and support all of the vulnerable people who will be impacted.