Emmy Duddles: How Medicaid Turned Years of Searching Into Accessible Care

For 30-year-old Emmy Duddles of Ohio, managing chronic illness has meant more than coping with symptoms. It has meant spending years searching for answers while navigating insurance barriers that made getting the right care feel out of reach. Emmy lives with fibromyalgia and chronic migraines, and she has experienced a migraine every day since 2016.

For years, she struggled to access the appointments, testing, treatments and medications that could help her find answers and improve her quality of life. While covered under her parents’ Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, Emmy experienced emergency room visits, unexpected medical bills and denied treatments. Although her parents were able to pay many of the bills, the cost of care and insurance barriers still limited the testing and treatment she could pursue.

After graduating from college, Emmy began working as an editor for a nonprofit. She now had employer-sponsored insurance, but she earned less than $30,000 a year while managing significant medical expenses, regularly paying co-pays and facing unexpected bills she struggled to cover.

During one emergency room visit, Emmy received a $2,000 bill. A portion of the bill went to collections even though she never received the initial notice, adding another layer of stress while she was already navigating her health challenges. She eventually worked out a payment plan with the hospital. “It’s a full-time job on top of the full-time job that I’m already trying to do. It’s hard to have a life outside of that,” Emmy said.

After leaving her nonprofit job, Emmy transitioned to freelance editing, which meant she no longer had access to employer-sponsored insurance. Not realizing she qualified for Medicaid, she enrolled in a marketplace plan instead, and under that plan she faced even greater barriers to accessing the care her doctors recommended. Emmy shared, “I was unable to receive my migraine shots because it was going to be $600 a month.”

While enrolled in that marketplace insurance, Emmy said, “I felt like I could only see my doctor for my annual physical, not the follow-up appointments in between, because those cost $50 to $60 every time, and I couldn’t afford it.”

Her insurance also denied coverage for physical therapy. “Being able to do physical therapy is incredibly important because it allows me to have some sort of pain management that isn’t drugs,” she said.

Eventually, after reviewing her coverage options, Emmy learned she qualified for Medicaid and enrolled. Medicaid provided the stability she needed to receive consistent care, explore treatment options and better manage her symptoms. Over the past year and a half, Emmy has been able to see her doctor regularly, receive lab work, access medications, and receive treatments such as iron infusions without worrying about the cost.

Because she can now afford regular follow-up appointments instead of waiting a year between visits, Emmy and her doctor have identified new health issues and adjusted her treatment. “I figured out so many more things since being on Medicaid than I did in the 20 years that I did before I had it,” she said.

For Emmy, the benefits of Medicaid extend beyond lower medical costs. “I’m not using so much energy fighting insurance. There’s a lot more energy and brain space to actually think about the things that make my life better rather than just fighting with insurance constantly,” Emmy said.