As a young college graduate planning my future, I focused on my budding career and building a family. What I didn’t plan for was becoming the full-time caregiver to my disabled child and relying on Medicaid to survive.
Now, my family and I live in constant fear that proposed cuts to the program will strip away the very supports that I’ve worked so hard to build. Medicaid is a social safety net for all people who find themselves in life-altering circumstances they never expected.
That’s why lawmakers must understand what cuts mean for the millions of families who rely on Medicaid benefits.
In 2012, I graduated with a master’s degree in public health, got married, and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. When my second child was born prematurely and spent six weeks in the Special Infant Care Unit, I took an extended leave of absence with plans of returning to work, but that never happened.
Instead, one small health issue turned into many, one therapy became four, and one specialist became half a dozen. My role transformed from being a mother to a full-time caregiver—all while also raising my older daughter.
When my son began having seizures at age three, I realized that I’d never go back to living the typical family life I had envisioned. The next year, when COVID shut down the world. I had no neighbors, friends, or community to go to for support.
Despite being mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted, I couldn’t stop. I needed to be there for my son’s around-the-clock care. As a result, my own health also suffered from years of caregiving without proper support. I developed food sensitivities, eczema, and debilitating brain fog that I couldn’t overcome even with a few good nights of sleep.
I was in massive caregiver burnout, and I needed help.
Tears rolled down my cheeks while I told our difficulties to my son’s teacher and therapists. That’s when the teacher told me about CAP/C Medicaid. I applied, and ten months later, my application got approved.
I reaped the benefits of Medicaid immediately—and everything changed for the better.
Through Medicaid, I got a specialized safety bed for my epileptic child. After paying out every penny of my husband’s high-deductible plan year after year, I was finally able to save money due to medical costs being covered. Most importantly, I hired respite care.
The day the respite worker arrived, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: relief. I could finally rest, spend time with my husband and daughter, or simply take a moment for myself while someone else safely watched my son.
Medicaid provided me with a chance to recover from years of burnout. For the first time in five years, I stepped out of survival mode and lived.
That lifeline is now under threat.
Proposed Medicaid cuts mean families like mine who receive benefits under CAP/C Medicaid could pay the price. North Carolina has already attempted to cut respite and paid caregiver rates in anticipation of budget shortfalls.
With current pay rates already on the lower end of the industry standard, it would be impossible to find and keep quality candidates. My family and other families would lose their respite care that helps us survive.
Impending cuts mean families like mine who rely on Medicaid will be pushed back into crisis. When respite and in-home supports collapse, it increases caregiver distress and can ultimately increase healthcare spending.
This is my reality even before the full scope of Medicaid cuts takes effect in 2027. I fought for years to reach a place where I could manage my son’s care while also maintaining my own health. I’m terrified these changes will undo the support system I’ve worked so hard to build.
The solution is straightforward: Congress must protect Medicaid funding and preserve the services that make caregiving safe and possible.
I don’t want to be forced to my breaking point. No family struggling to care for their disabled child should have to fear losing the basic assistance necessary for their existence.
Corey Briskey, MPH, lives in Apex. Corey has a background in public health and advocates for caregivers, disabled children and their families.
Hence then, the article about medicaid cuts put caregivers and their families at risk was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Medicaid cuts put caregivers and their families at risk )
Also on site :