- Maria Vilmerding Moore is a five-year breast cancer survivor. She lives in Murfreesboro.
As a cancer survivor, I can tell you that fighting cancer was hard enough, but then I had to worry about losing my home.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. After undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstruction in March 2016, I then underwent four additional surgeries the following year. All of this made it impossible for me to work. Since I was unable to work, I was unable to keep my health coverage and found myself uninsured for the first time in my life. I had no idea where to turn. It was then that a nurse navigator insisted that I apply for TennCare Medicaid.
I had worked as a nurse and executive hospice care consultant for five years, and I wasn’t looking for what at that time I perceived as a handout from the state. I wanted to survive cancer. But I knew without insurance I simply couldn’t afford the treatment I needed to beat this disease. I found myself facing impossible choices: let the cancer continue to grow or become homeless. As a mother of two young girls, neither one of those was an option.
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TennCare Medicaid saved my life. I was able to gain health insurance coverage through the program that allowed me to focus on fighting this disease and healing. Today I am cancer free because TennCare Medicaid gave me that fighting chance. But I’m well aware how many fellow Tennesseans are in just as desperate need but are ineligible for the program.
Tennessee is one of 14 states that hasn’t increased access to Medicaid to allow more low-income adults to be eligible for this lifesaving coverage, leaving over 300,000 Tennesseans without access to affordable health insurance coverage options. These individuals have nowhere to turn to get the care they need. To make matters worse, Tennessee is trying to make changes to TennCare that would create even more barriers to maintain coverage for those currently enrolled in the program. These policies could dramatically limit access to care for hard-working Tennesseans when they need it most.
Medicaid Covers Us
I learned quickly that I was wrong. Medicaid isn’t a handout. It’s a critical health insurance program for individuals who are in a tough spot and have no other options. It was there for me when I needed it. That’s why I am proud I was able to take part in the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s launch event of their Medicaid Covers Us project, which took place virtually June 10. Fellow patients and a panel of experts shared our stories and expertise to shine a light on the important role TennCare Medicaid plays in Tennessee and the crisis our state is facing when it comes to accessing affordable, quality health coverage.
Over 39,000 Tennesseans will hear the words “you have cancer” in 2020 — and access to affordable, comprehensive care is critical to their survival.
Maria Vilmerding Moore is a five-year breast cancer survivor. She lives in Murfreesboro.