When the Orlando theme parks shut for the pandemic, I was laid-off from my position almost immediately afterwards. It made economic sense, as they were my main clients, and they would certainly not be re-filling their wine cellars anytime soon.
Thankfully the Medicaid lifeline was there for us almost right away. They responded faster than the unemployment folks did! (Don’t even get me started on them, we are still owed unemployment from nearly a year ago!)
The coverage, while not great for offices and doctors in the “nicer” areas of town, was perfectly fine for our mostly-healthy family. It helped Erin get through some medical issues of her own, and healed Kai’s broken elbow. It also covered countless medication refills for my hypertension, etc. All at 100%. For the nearly 18 months I was unemployed, it was an absolute life-saver.
When I did return to full-time employment in Aug/Sept of 2021, I notified the state and found private insurance through the ACA website. I later found out that due to the pandemic, the state wasn’t dropping anyone from Medicaid due to the public health emergency. How thoughtful of them! So I canceled my private insurance (right as I was diagnosed with cancer), and happily stayed on Medicaid.
Continue reading “Uninsured”