Congress recently passed a 900-page bill that slashed government expenditures. Some of the cost reductions were in health care, so I want to share a personal story. My 89-year-old mother-in-law has had two strokes; her second was almost fatal. It left her with poor communication skills and trouble swallowing food. She has difficulty walking, has fallen multiple times, and broke her hip twice. She has dementia and lives in a memory care facility as she needs round-the-clock care.
My mother-in-law has been on Medicaid for about 2 years. Until this week, we had not experienced major roadblocks in her care, other than the headache-inducing paperwork. Her social security and other monthly income go directly to the nursing home. Federal law requires that she be allowed to keep $50 for personal expenses.
On August 5, my mother-in-law’s doctor tried to refill one of her prescriptions and was told that her Medicaid had been revoked. Jobs and Family Services said that a change in the Medicaid systems caused a number of people to lose their medical coverage. There was no warning that this would happen. My husband spent most of the day trying to resolve the issue. We are fortunate that his job situation allowed him to do this.
Nearly 3 million Ohioans receive Medicaid. When Medicaid is cut, emergency room visits increase, but uninsured patients don’t pay their bills. The financially strained hospitals struggle to maintain their quality of care. Even people with good health insurance will be affected. There are 8 hospitals in Ohio that are at risk of closing, including the two main hospitals in Crawford County. Imagine what it would be like to not have a hospital in your county.
Our representatives in Congress, Bob Latta, John Husted, and Bernie Moreno, claim their “Big, Beautiful, Bill” protected health care. This is not the case. Most of us will get old and need Medicare or Medicaid to keep us alive. What if it isn’t there?
Call your representatives and tell them you won’t vote for politicians who don’t care about the welfare of average people. Perhaps they will tell you what Senator Joni Ernst said to her constituents: “Well, we’re all going to die.” Our current representatives only care about making the rich even richer. We deserve better.
Debbie Dalke
Bowling Green
