Genesis Lee: A Colorado Mother Fighting to Keep Medicaid for Her Children

Genesis Lee lives in Westminster, Colorado, and is the mother of two children. Her oldest, Jasper, turns five in September. Her youngest, Athena, is two. “Thanks to Medicaid, I was able to have my babies free,” she said. “I did not have to worry about any medical charges from the hospital or medicines or therapies that I needed before or after having them.”

Both of her children have autism and ADHD. Athena also has a brain tumor, a cyst and experiences constant seizures. “Without Medicaid, I wouldn’t be able to afford the special therapies or doctor’s appointments or MRIs that we have to do or epilepsy overnight stays or sleep studies,” Genesis said. “So thanks to Medicaid, I’ve been able to not have to have that financial stress of taking care of my babies.”

A single mother, she receives help from food stamps and WIC. “As everyone knows, it is really hard to survive on your own with help as it is,” she said. “To know that those are at risk of being taken away is super scary.” She fears what the loss of Medicaid would mean for her children. “It is really hard to come to terms to know that my reality and my baby’s realities could be changed. I’m not sure how my son or my daughter would be able to get the treatments they need or the therapies that they would need to grow to have a chance at life,” she said. “I’m not sure how I would be without it as well.”

Genesis recently had a heart attack and continues to deal with chest pains and heart palpitations. “Without Medicaid, I wouldn’t be able to afford getting myself seen,” she said. “If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your kids.”

The possibility of losing Medicaid and food stamps weighs heavily on her. “It’s really scary,” she said. “I just would like to do anything I can to try to get the voice out there to know how important Medicaid is for people and single moms and children and the lower-class citizens of Colorado. I just really hope that this video will help others.”