Anne, 59, lived in pain for nearly twenty years before Medicaid brought her relief. When she was 38 she began experiencing severe knee pain. The pain left her unable to keep up with her job as a UPS delivery manager, but her insurance company told her she was too young to qualify for knee replacement surgery. Eventually the pain was so unbearable she had to quit her job.
After leaving UPS, Anne started a pet-sitting business, but couldn’t afford to buy insurance and her knee pain steadily worsened. She had difficulty getting around, and the pain would sometimes keep her up at night. After years of pain, Anne applied for Medicaid and qualified for coverage, which meant that she could finally get her knees replaced.
“If it wasn’t for Medicaid, I don’t know where I’d be,” Anne said. “This is the first time I haven’t been in severe pain for 20 years and I feel like a productive member of society again. The program gave me back my life.”
Anne is engaged to be married on her 60th birthday and is so grateful that Medicaid gave her hope for her future again.