Crystal* is from rural Gilmer County, West Virginia and suffers from several long-term health issues that have required her to take daily medications and undergo several surgeries over the years. Even with insurance, she accumulated significant medical debt that eventually forced her to file for bankruptcy. Finances became even more precarious when she and her fiancé learned they would be welcoming a second child in January of 2020. That’s when she found out about Medicaid.
West Virginia advocates are celebrating the passage of a Medicaid postpartum bill that extends postpartum coverage for 12 months. Unfortunately, Crystal had her son before the law was passed and she lost her Medicaid just before the pandemic struck.
*Crystal has agreed to share her health care story but has asked us not to share her real name or the names of her children.
