Maureen Malesco: A Mother’s Peace of Mind Thanks to Medicaid

Maureen Malesco of Middletown, New Jersey, utilizes Medicaid to support her daughter, Mairead, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 19 months. “At the time, which was 1999, she was the youngest person in New Jersey to have been diagnosed with autism,” Maureen recalled. Mairead has grown into a capable adult who works at a day program for autistic adults, earning a modest income while living with her mother. “She can work. She can take an Uber by herself. She can manage her life somewhat independently,” Maureen said.

Mairead works five hours a day, five days a week in an environment that accepts her for who she is. “It’s huge that she’s able to work. It’s huge that she found some place that accepts her for who she is because they’re autistic too. It’s a blessing for us that she can work,” Maureen said. Medicaid ensures that she can maintain her health, live independently as much as possible, and participate in life.

Despite her abilities, Mairead faces ongoing challenges. “She really doesn’t have a social life. You know, my husband and I are like her Disneyland,  Maureen explained. She also cannot manage finances and requires support to maintain daily routines. “When she was in school, she had a full-time aid from the minute she stepped into the school district to the day she graduated,” Maureen said.

Mairead depends on Medicaid for medical care and prescriptions, which allow her to live a stable life. She has polycystic ovarian syndrome and sees an endocrinologist and gynecologist. “She really needs to keep those people in place because literally they’re helping her live her life because of this other disorder that she has,” Maureen explained. Mairead also takes an antidepressant covered by Medicaid, which Maureen described as crucial to her daughter’s functioning. “That would be affected and that would be a nightmare. Like, I can tell if she hasn’t taken it. It really affects her. So it’s extremely important in her case that she keeps, you know, these people in place and this particular drug in place.”

Maureen emphasized the importance of Medicaid in providing a safety net for her daughter’s future. “It scares me to death thinking about someone taking advantage of her or, you know, would she end up homeless? What would become of her? All because of the pill that she takes every day,” she said. She urged lawmakers to recognize the impact on real families, “Aren’t you lucky that you have medical care for the rest of your life, probably never paid a dime for it. You know, there’s a lot of people out here that aren’t as lucky as you.”

For Mairead, Medicaid ensures access to care and stability in a world where her limited income would otherwise make medical coverage impossible. “This is what she needs to even the playing field with the rest of the typical people that are out there,” Maureen said. In a state with high costs of living, Medicaid guarantees her daughter can afford both her medications and basic living expenses. “If we’re not on the planet, my husband and I, she won’t have a roof over her head, she won’t be able to eat because she’ll use all of her money for medical,” she explained.

For Maureen and her daughter, Medicaid provides security, stability, and peace of mind. “I think it’s given us a sense of security that okay like our daughter…this is the safety net we’ve been thinking about,” Maureen said.