Medicaid soon running out for some Michiganders
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A Metro Detroit woman is one of thousands of Michiganders at risk of losing health insurance coverage now that public health assistance given during the pandemic is coming to an end.
"It should be criminal. People who live in poverty have enough daily stresses," Valerie Blakely said.
And now Blakely has one more. The government estimates 15 million people across the country, will be kicked off Medicaid. Blakely, a Detroiter, fears she could be one of them.
"I'm not sure that I'd even be able to pay my bills if I had to pay for health care," Blakely said. "You're talking about food off the table."
Blakely hasn't had to worry about applying for Medicaid coverage for a while. During the first three years of the pandemic, Medicaid recipients weren't required to submit income information to prove eligibility.
Blakely has five other people living in her home, three are children, and her husband is in need of medical care. Without Medicaid she says her family would be strapped for cash.
"We wouldn't be able to make our ends meet at all. I would probably have to go get a third job," she said.
Proof of what you make in Michigan could be required again as early as July, and people who make too much to qualify will need to find coverage elsewhere. Blakely says the stress of waiting to find out is nearly insurmountable.
"Fight poverty, not the poor. Stop and think about what your decisions do to people's everyday lives, there's certainly a better way," Blakely said.
According to health insurance experts, people with Medicaid should take time now to make sure the state has the right address for them, ensuring they get the letter telling them what information they need to turn in to keep their coverage. And when that letter comes, it's important to do what it says, without delay.
