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Siiri Cressey lives in Lewiston, Maine, where she has spent her entire life. “I’ve been a Mainer my whole life, born and raised here,” she said. Currently living with a long-term disability, Siiri receives health coverage through MaineCare, which includes both Medicaid and Medicare benefits.
Garret Frey lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a city rooted in Midwestern values where community and care for one another still matter. In 1987, Garret was in a motorcycle accident leaving him with a C4-C5 spinal cord injury, quadriplegic and ventilator dependent. As a person living with a physical disability, Garret knows firsthand the difference Medicaid makes, not just in his life, but in the lives of millions.
Raychel Ward lives in Livermore Falls, Maine, where she cares for her three medically complex children. If Congress dismantled the Affordable Care Act and gutted Medicaid—known in Maine as MaineCare and CubCare—Raychel said it would be nearly impossible for her family to function.
Ryan Jolly, a proud resident of the state of Kansas, describes herself as being at the center of many of the groups Medicaid serves. She is a daughter, a mother, a foster parent, a health care provider and a small business owner. “If the different constituencies that are affected by Medicaid were presented in a Venn diagram,” she said, “I'm that big circle in the middle where they all overlap.
For most of her adult life, Amanda Gershon, a lifetime resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, and a restaurant manager, was uninsured. That all changed in 2016, when a serious health crisis forced her to apply for disability at just 32 years old. Since gaining Medicaid coverage, Amanda’s care has changed dramatically. “Since I was able to get Medicaid, my doctor who saw me uninsured was finally able to run all of the different tests I've needed. I've had many different procedures, therapies, medications. A long list of opportunities to better my health and give me a quality of life that I enjoy again…Without Medicaid, I know I wouldn't have survived many times over."
Patty Kidder lives in Springvale, Maine, and has spent her entire life struggling to afford health care. Medicaid helps Patty pay for her drug plan, including the premium and prescription costs. “I think my copay is like $4.90 for a prescription that would normally cost several hundred,” she said. “It is lifesaving. Without that benefit, lots of people are going to die or become very, very ill. And that includes my family, myself, my husband, people I care about, people we all care about.”
Mellissa Ely, known to many as Missy, is a 51-year-old woman from Lincoln, Nebraska, a mom to two boys and a grandmother to four grandkids. She is also a registered Republican, a supporter of Donald Trump, and has been navigating the health care system for years with the help of Medicaid expansion.
In Basking Ridge, New Jersey, Theresa Luoni is raising 12-year-old twin boys with autism. Her life revolves around ensuring they have the care, therapies and opportunities they need—not just to survive, but to thrive. For Theresa, Medicaid is more than a policy or a program. It is what allows her to care for her children and give them a future.
At 31 years old, Ray, a father of five from Pennsylvania, is working hard to raise a young family while managing the pressures of everyday life. Until recently, Medicaid was something he hadn’t thought deeply about. His wife, Autumn, handled the paperwork to make sure their kids had coverage. But as he began reflecting more seriously on his faith, and his role as a father and husband, he realized how critical that support truly is.
Steven Leaton works hard to provide for his wife and two daughters. But with a life-threatening heart condition and a child with complex medical needs, he can’t do it alone. Medicaid helps him stay healthy enough to work and gives his daughter the care she needs to stay safe.