Medicaid gives people access to essential health care and support when they need it most, but enormous Republican-proposed cuts would jeopardize the health of over 70 million people, including children, pregnant people, older adults, people with disabilities and people with low incomes. Throughout the Spring, the National Partnership for Women & Families will be highlighting the importance of Medicaid in the lives of our staff and their loved ones, proudly proclaiming Medicaid Matters. Below, we highlight the story of our colleague Lauren’s mom.
When I moved to the East Coast, I promised my mom I would call her every Sunday. With Medicaid on the proverbial chopping block, two such Sunday calls helped me learn just how important Medicaid is throughout a woman’s lifetime.
One Sunday in 2022, my mom shared with me that her first abortion was covered by Medicaid. After some initial confusion – “What do you mean Medicaid? The Hyde Amendment bans Medicaid from covering abortion care, Mom!” – the math checked out. My mom had her first abortion mere months before the Hyde Amendment was passed in September 1976. She described getting this care as the difference between “life or death.” She would not die, per se, but the rest of her life would drastically change if she carried the fetus to term. Neither my mom or her parents made enough money to cover the cost out of pocket, but Medicaid came through.
While the Hyde Amendment now prevents Medicaid from covering most abortion care, Medicaid is the largest payer of family planning services for women with low-incomes. My mom, single with my nine-month old sister living in a one-bedroom apartment with her parents and nine siblings, was able to receive abortion care, birth control, and postpartum support after she gave birth to my sister because of Medicaid. Medicaid helped my mom focus on raising my sister, hold her job, and save enough to rent her own apartment.
This past Sunday, nearly 50 years later, my mom shared with me that she is terrified of potentially losing her health coverage from Medicaid. The program that supported her through one of the toughest times in her life may not be there to guarantee her access to long-term support services, like personal care assistance, as she gets older. If Medicaid is cut, older women like my mom will pay more for nursing home care, in-home personal care assistance, and medication.
Medicaid matters for women of all ages and at all points in their health journeys. My mom was able to transition into motherhood and assert bodily autonomy with the support of Medicaid. Today, she deserves to transition into retirement and “grandma-hood” without the stress of wondering if she can afford to receive the care she needs to thrive in this restful time of her life. Medicaid matters for mothers everywhere including mine.
Read more from the Medicaid Matters series:
