Medicaid cuts hurt real Ohioans
Testimonials
My family’s been through a lot. I’m a survivor of childhood sexual assault and domestic violence. I live with PTSD, and so do my children. One of my children is on ADHD medication, and both need regular mental health counseling. I have chronic asthma and need maintenance inhalers and steroid treatments to breathe.
This care isn’t optional. It’s critical.
Even though I work full time as a substance abuse counselor, Medicaid is what keeps my family from drowning in medical bills.
There was a time I had to choose between medical care and basic needs. With Medicaid, I don’t have to make those sacrifices. Without it, we simply couldn’t afford to stay healthy and stay afloat.
I make $18 an hour and take home just over $1,000 every two weeks. That doesn’t stretch far when you’re raising kids and trying to build a better life. I know people like to talk about “abuse of the system,” but I’m asking you to look deeper. Trauma, generational hardship and impossible choices are the reality for families like mine.
Medicaid fills the gap. Without it, my family wouldn’t just struggle. We’d suffer.
Please protect this program. It’s not just about healthcare. It’s about survival.
Carolyn P., Jackson County
Nearly six years ago, I was trapped in addiction with no way out. I had tried to get clean on my own, but it never worked — until I got Medicaid. That’s when the doors finally opened.
Medicaid allowed me to enter treatment and helped me through the entire recovery process: withdrawal management, residential care, transitional housing, sober living, mental health counseling and medical visits. I hadn’t seen a doctor in years before that. Medicaid gave me the chance to get healthy.
I finally got my life back.
This year I’ll celebrate six years of sobriety. I’m now a contributing member of society with a full-time job, a home, a vehicle and a loving family. I work full-time in recovery services and help women just like me. Most rely on Medicaid to access the same care that saved my life. Without it, they’d still be out using. Some wouldn’t survive.
I’m also a mom. My 4-year-old son depends on Medicaid for his healthcare. I have insurance through my job, but I can’t afford to add him. Like so many working families, we simply don’t make enough. If we lost Medicaid, I don’t know how I’d get him to the doctor or dentist. I’d be forced to make impossible choices.
Medicaid changed everything for me. It helped me survive, rebuild and give back. It’s not just important — it’s vital. And for people like me and the women I serve, taking it away is a death sentence.
Lauren M., Scioto County
My family relies on Medicaid every single day — not just to stay healthy, but to survive.
I’ve had multiple surgeries in the past year, plus physical therapy, MRIs and therapy. Without Medicaid, I couldn’t have afforded any of it. I also have sleep apnea, and my machine alone would cost me around $90 a month. Paying for it would bankrupt me. But without it, I might not be here.
My husband is bipolar. One of his medications costs $3,000 a month. My youngest son is autistic, has ADHD and sees a psychiatrist and therapist. Without Medicaid, those appointments — $200 an hour — would be completely out of reach. My whole family’s mental and physical care would be gone overnight.
We’re not abusing the system. We simply can’t afford the care we need. I work part-time at a fast-food job and have always had to balance work with being a full-time caregiver. When you have children with disabilities, your time is never your own.
Now I’m working toward becoming a certified provider for people with disabilities, inspired by the care and community we’ve found through the Special Olympics and support programs Medicaid helps make possible.
If we lost Medicaid, we’d have to sacrifice doctor visits, medication, therapy — maybe even electricity or food. We couldn’t live like that.
Medicaid isn’t just health insurance. It’s life support for families like mine.
Danyeil, Williams County
My son was on a promising path. He graduated from high school in 2015, earned a degree in accounting from the University of Akron, and landed a paid internship that led to a full-time job at an accounting firm in early 2020.
Then the world changed.
In the spring of 2020, at the onset of the Covid pandemic, my son’s mental health began to unravel. He left his job and moved in with his sister. Over the next year, his condition worsened until crisis intervention and multiple hospitalizations became necessary.
During one of those stays, someone helped him apply for Medicaid. That coverage allowed him to connect with behavioral health services in Canton, receive an accurate diagnosis and start the treatment he desperately needed.
Thanks to Medicaid, he has not been hospitalized in nearly four years. He’s learning to manage his condition. He spends joyful days with his niece and nephews and is building a future. I’m also taking advantage of NAMI’s peer and caregiver resources so I can help him improve as well.
We’re all getting better every day.
Losing Medicaid would be devastating. Without it, we couldn't afford the medication or therapy that keeps him stable. He couldn’t access the services that have helped him. Without treatment, he could spiral again — possibly leading to police involvement, incarceration or worse. I’ve seen it happen to other families.
There’s a good chance my son will eventually secure a job with benefits including insurance coverage. In the meantime, because of Medicaid he’s a healthy, productive member of society. He’s not the only one who benefits — we all do.
Traci S., Stark County
In 2020, a car accident left me with a traumatic brain injury.
I also live with multiple other conditions — arthritis, asthma, scoliosis and vertigo. I’m dependent on medication and regular medical care to manage my health, but I’m only able to work part time when my body allows. I usually work around 16 hours a week, often as a poll worker during elections.
Medicaid is what makes any of that possible. It covers the medications and appointments I couldn’t afford otherwise.
Without it, I wouldn’t be able to work. I wouldn’t be able to stay healthy. I’d be forced to choose between getting the care I need and basic necessities like food.
Medicaid gives me security not just for managing my disabilities, but for preventive care too. Cancer runs in my family, and I need regular screenings to catch anything early. Medicaid makes that possible.
But now, I’m scared. If I lose Medicaid, I lose my only access to health care. I lose my independence. I lose my ability to contribute to my community.
Without Medicaid, people like me don’t just get sicker — we disappear from the workforce and community life.
Katie W., Lucas County
In 2015, I was homeless, addicted to heroin and out of options. People told me I needed help — but without insurance, there was no way to get care.
Medicaid changed everything. It got me into detox, then into residential treatment and later transitional living. I could finally manage my addiction and mental health. I was also able to see an eye doctor and dentist for the first time in years.
After facing an almost certain early death, I started to believe in a future.
That one opportunity led to everything that followed — sobriety, stability, a career in the mental health field and now, a master’s degree in social work. I’ve been sober for over 10 years, and I spend every day helping others find their future selves.
People say, “How does Medicaid get you a degree?” For me, it turned the pain into purpose. Working on myself helped me discover who I really was.
None of this would have happened without Medicaid. It gave me a chance to survive, first, and then to thrive. I’m not alone. I’ve seen countless lives changed because people had access to care. If we take Medicaid away, we’re not just cutting off healthcare — we’re cutting off hope.
Dustin S., Scioto County
I’m a single mom to two daughters. My youngest, Naomi, was diagnosed with a brain tumor just weeks after she was born. That diagnosis changed everything. She’s now 16 and lives with profound physical, intellectual and visual disabilities. Her care is constant, complex and all-consuming.
I had to leave my job to become her full-time caregiver, and with that, I lost my health insurance.
Medicaid became our lifeline.
It’s how Naomi receives the therapies, specialists and support she needs to keep moving forward. These services have helped her gain strength, communication skills and confidence. They aren’t luxuries. They are the building blocks of her progress and quality of life.
Medicaid also makes it possible for me to access the care I need to stay healthy. The stress, isolation and physical toll of caregiving don’t stop. Without support, I couldn’t continue to be there for her in the way she needs.
For 13 years, I’ve raised my daughters on my own. Every step of the way, Medicaid has been there — keeping Naomi stable, helping her grow and giving me the strength to keep going.
If we lost that coverage, we’d be in crisis. And I know we’re not alone. Families like mine — caregivers, single parents, essential workers — are counting on this program to survive.
Sandra B., Montgomery County
My adult son lives with schizophrenia and a substance use disorder. From 2020 to 2022, he was hospitalized more than 20 times. He used to hear voices telling him to harm himself. The turning point came when he was connected to care covered by Medicaid — psychiatric treatment, therapy, medications and a substance use provider.
One medication in particular stopped the voices.
Today, he's been stable for three years. He sees his psychiatrist regularly, takes five medications daily and receives ongoing support. All of it is covered by Medicaid. Because of this care, he’s been able to rebuild his relationship with his kids, who now visit three weekends a month.
Without Medicaid, that progress would unravel. His medications and care would cost us thousands of dollars a month, money we simply don’t have. Without that support, the voices would come back. Hospitalization — or worse — would be almost inevitable.
As a mother, caregiver and professional who has worked in this field for nearly three decades, I know what’s at stake. Without Medicaid, we’re not just risking individual health. We’re risking family stability, public safety and community well-being.
There are a lot of good families that wrestle with these issues. We need the support we get through Medicaid to keep our loved ones safe. Our society needs it, too.
My son has a medical condition, not a moral failing. He — like so many others — deserves access to care.
Anonymous, Athens County
My boyfriend, Ian, was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis as a teenager. At one point, he quit treatment and his condition spiraled. A major flare-up left him hospitalized for days. When his doctor asked why he’d stopped treatment, he said, “I didn’t want to put my parents in debt for me.”
That changed when he enrolled in Medicaid. It covered his life-saving medications, infusions, specialist visits and even procedures like getting his wisdom teeth removed and a CPAP for sleep apnea. With Medicaid, he didn’t have to choose between staying alive and staying out of debt.
Because he was healthy and financially stable, he made it through college and landed a job as a data analyst at a nonprofit fighting homelessness. We were even able to buy a house together — something that wouldn’t have been possible under a mountain of medical debt.
Medicaid gave Ian a second chance at life, and it gave us the chance to build one together.
Grace S., Hamilton County
I was uninsured for a long time. I didn’t think I qualified for Medicaid, and there was a stigma that made me hesitate. So I risked it, hoping I wouldn’t get sick. It wasn’t until my tax preparer encouraged me to apply that I finally did.
I’m so glad I listened.
In 2021, while visiting a friend out of state, I noticed something was wrong with my vision. A trip to the ER revealed a detached retina, and emergency surgery followed the next morning.
Without Medicaid, the care would have bankrupted me.
Today, I run a small business helping young adults navigate life after high school and teach line dancing on the side. I work more than 50 hours a week. I still can’t afford private insurance. The sky-high deductibles and co-pays on marketplace plans are so high, it feels like having no insurance at all. When I broke my toe eight months ago — a painful setback for a dancer — I decided against medical attention. It hurts to this day.
Now I’m back on Medicaid and will have my toe evaluated soon. Medicaid doesn’t just help me stay healthy — it gives me peace of mind. I no longer live in fear of the next health crisis wiping me out financially.
I’m not a freeloader. I’m a taxpayer, a teacher and an entrepreneur. I’m building something that gives back to my community — and Medicaid helps me keep going.
Melanie K., Lucas County
After losing my job as a forklift operator, I suddenly had no way to cover my daughter’s medical needs. She has severe allergies, and even with good insurance her sick visits cost me $105 each. Without Medicaid, I would’ve had to choose between paying for her care or covering our mortgage.
Thanks to Medicaid, I can take her to the doctor when she’s sick and get the medications she needs. I’m able to stay focused on building a better future. As I work toward my chemical dependency counselor certification, I can invest in licensing and training to get back to meaningful work.
People think Medicaid is for those who don’t want to work, but that’s just not true. I’ve talked to a lot of fellow Medicaid recipients who are hardworking, just like me, and going through a stage where they simply need some additional help.
I’m doing everything I can for my daughter and our future. Medicaid is what’s keeping us afloat during this transition — and giving me the chance to move forward.
Robert P., Lucas County