When Medicaid Coverage Means Survival

For 60-year-old Jeanette Wilkins, losing her Medicaid coverage would be what she calls "a death sentence”. Wilkins has heart failure, a hereditary condition she manages with daily medication. Her Medicaid coverage pays for a large percentage of her medication, which could cost up to $927 a month if she were no longer covered.

The federal budget resolution currently under consideration in Washington, DC, proposes $880 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program. This could be devastating to the 3.4 million Illinois residents who rely on Medicaid, including Wilkins. Wilkins qualified for Medicaid after heart failure left her unable to work. For the past four years, Medicaid has covered most of her medication costs.

Wilkins requires medication twice daily to maintain what she considers a “half-life”. Her current heart function is 30% and she can no longer work or perform many of the activities she enjoyed before her condition deteriorated. She misses going to work and the financial security it provided. 

Wilkins finds solace in the fact that her condition didn’t stem from lifestyle choices like drinking, smoking, or partying; it’s a genetic condition. Tragically, one of her four children inherited her condition and died at 28 from heart failure. 

Medicaid is a means of survival for 3.4 million people in Illinois, including older adults, people with disabilities and 3 in 8 children. Losing access to this coverage could be a matter of life and death for some. “People should not have to choose whether to eat or to buy their medication,” said Wilkins. 

Jeanette is one of many patients at Loyola Medicine who depend on Medicaid,” said Shawn P. Vincent, president and CEO of Loyola Medicine. “We have a responsibility to care for our patients, and these proposed cuts would significantly harm thousands of individuals in the communities we serve, as well as hospitals and healthcare workers across Illinois."

(Newswise/HB)