Medicaid Stories

Dr. Pace is a retired gastroenterologist and a colon cancer survivor. He knows first-hand the importance of early cancer diagnosis, and knows that expanding Medicaid in Mississippi would allow more people to have access to life-saving screenings.

Shane is the President and CEO of North Mississippi Health Services, the largest rural hospital system in the country. He wants to ensure his patients have access to the care they need, and knows that Medicaid expansion would play a huge role in that.

Tim was working in construction when he noticed sores on his foot, but he didn’t have health insurance to treat it. Years later, he found out that the sores were diabetic ulcers and he needed to have his leg amputated.

Jessica is a summer camp director and a teacher. When she was 11 years old, her dad had a heart attack. As a truck driver, her didn’t have access to health insurance, and the hospital bills devastated her family. “It took 15 to 20 years for my parents to pay those bills off,” Jessica said.

In Alabama there has been a stark racial and geographic divide in who is suffering from COVID-19, in part because of long-standing barriers to health insurance coverage. Watch this short film to hear from community leaders and health care providers in the Black Belt of Alabama as well as other rural parts of the state about these disparities and the importance of improving access to health care. Then check out the full mini-documentary On the Edge: Health Care in Alabama.

David Silverstein, President of The Five Stone Group explores the crucial need for Medicaid Expansion in the state of Alabama to help the thousands of Alabamians that do not have health care coverage obtain vital services.

Joshua is a full-time student holding a full-time job, but as a 19-year-old in Mississippi who makes less than the poverty line, he does not have access to health insurance. When he realized that a mole on his head had grown considerably, he didn’t have the coverage he needed to see a specialist. 

Gail was in remission from her second occurrence of cancer when she lost Medicaid health insurance. For months, Gail was unable to get the medication she needed to keep her cancer at bay, and when her coverage was finally reinstated, her cancer had come back.

Laurin and Nick were able to start their own business in part because they knew that their children would still be able to have health insurance through Medicaid. While they struggle to find affordable health insurance options, they are grateful that their children have the coverage they need.