At the end of March, The New York Times recently published “The Big Secret About Medicaid: It’s a Middle-Class Benefit,” a timely read as April is Medicaid Awareness Month. The article shares scenarios of how Medicaid provides lifelines to individuals who did not realize they would need it.
“Millions of people who are financially comfortable now may be just one bad break away from needing Medicaid for themselves or a member of their immediate family. Without coverage, the cost of care for an aging parent or a sick or disabled child — of any age — can be ruinous.”
The author, Ron Lieber, details these situations and states that while the federal and state program mainly serves people with very low incomes, it is a safety net for 70 million people. He also points out that even for higher income brackets of middle class (in Arizona, middle class income is considered between $51,538 and $154,630), the costs of hospital stays and other health care can be devastating.
For example:
Medicaid is a likely backstop if your child ends up needing an enormous amount of care. The same thing is true if your 20-year-old college student has a disabling accident, your 25-year-old has a severe stroke and only partly recovers or your 30-year-old has a life-altering mental health diagnosis.
And if you have aging parents who need the support offered by assisted living homes, your “parents will qualify for Medicaid once [they] draw down their own funds,” and you won’t have to pay for the exorbitant costs of assisted living.
While some may think they would not be affected by changes to Medicaid, I hope these scenarios illustrate that you just might need the Medicaid safety net one day, too.