Medicaid
Melinda Magdalene Wings: Protecting Her Parents Final Chapter
Melinda Magdalene Wings is a retired hospice nurse who knows the value of compassionate care. Today, she’s advocating not for her patients, but for her own parents, Ivan and Kay both 86 years old, who live in a care facility in Newton, Iowa, the town where they were born and raised. “They’ve been in love since they were 17,” Melinda shares. “They’re still together today, in the same facility. But without Medicaid and Medicare, they wouldn’t be.”
Mary Shaw was struggling with several medical issues, including skin cancer and an urgent need for a hip replacement. She was unable to get help until Nebraska expanded their Medicaid program. With her new coverage, Mary was able to not only improve her physical health, but also found a renewed sense of purpose and dignity.
Wendy Andersen and her family rely on Medicaid to take care of her son, Dexter. Dexter needs 24/7 care, life-saving medication, and other services like physical therapy. Before receiving Medicaid wavers, Dexter's medication cost tens of thousands of dollars. Without Medicaid, they wouldn't be able to keep Dexter at home and involved in their community or provide him the care he needs to live with dignity. 
Adam Koresh is studying to be a teacher at the University of Northern Iowa. Under the new work requirements proposed by Republicans in Congress, Adam could lose his Medicaid coverage. Despite contacting both his senator, Mike Klimesh, and his representative, Jason Gearhart, both dismissed his concerns. Adam is worried that the new work requirements will not only rip away his Medicaid coverage, but do the same to thousands of other students across the U.S.
Neva Allen a resident of Belfast, Maine, has lived with a neurological condition that weakens her legs for the last 27 years. Now 65, Neva’s condition causes extreme fatigue and pain and forces her to use a power chair. Neva relies on MaineCare, Social Security Disability, and housing assistance. The thought of losing Medicaid and ACA coverage deeply unsettles her.
After spending years navigating unexplained symptoms and an overwhelming amount of doctor visits, Tiana Andrews was finally diagnosed with a brain tumor, and later epilepsy. Medicaid gave Tiana Andrews access the lifesaving care she needed when she needed it. 
Kasey McBlais is a resident of Buckfield, Maine, a small, rural town in the western part of the state. She started her journey with MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, in January 2023 after she separated from her ex-husband and became a single mother to two young children: a two-year-old daughter and a five-year-old neurodivergent son.
Sally Troche, a 30-year-old resident of Greenleigh, Pennsylvania, has relied on Medicaid to access essential services that support her daily life. For Sally, Medicaid has been a critical tool in helping her manage health care costs and stay connected to care she otherwise couldn’t afford.
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.