A health care provider, after a year of having them, dropped me suddenly due to no longer accepting Medicaid. No warning – no grace period to find another provider – just a matter-of-fact email. They were supposed to send resources but never did. So, there I was almost out of all my psych meds as my appointment was a day away. As I sat in my car, the overwhelming feeling of despair took over. How will I ever find a provider on time? Waiting times for any provider can be months out.
I started Googling mental health providers near me. I started calling down the list. The first two didn’t even accept Medicaid but offered their sliding scale option. I don’t have a lot of money, so that really was not a good option for me and knowing that I have Medicaid I had to just keep Iooking. Oh, I was already discouraged! What is happening? The third provider I reluctantly called stated they did take Medicaid. I got an appointment within the week, and got my mental health meds refilled just in time.
This is a happy ending to a very stressful real time story, but what about the ‘what ifs?’ What if by chance no one I called took my insurance? What if my expensive meds had to be paid out of pocket? And there’s no way I even have $3,500 to pay for psych meds.
Having no insurance is a very scary thing but having insurance that is no longer accepted in many places is an absolute nightmare. This is not just my story; this is a story that happens every day. Everyone is entitled to healthcare no matter what their resources are. If we keep sharing these truths, we build a path where no one has to fight alone.
