Kaitlin Franzwa

Medical Assistance helped Kaitlin get through 3.5 years of chemotherapy for a sick child. Now, as a Public Health Nurse, she fears how Medicaid cuts will impact her patients’ ability to get health care.

 “I am no longer enrolled in Medical Assistance as I worked my way up to make more money, but I will forever be grateful that we have a Medical Assistance program in Minnesota for a few reasons. The biggest one is that it allowed me to save my child who was diagnosed with childhood cancer at 3 years old. I was able to be a present mom, advocate for him, and reduce the stress of having to consider bankruptcy to save my child's life. I was able to work part time while he went through 3.5 years of chemotherapy, thanks to Medicaid being able to cover his treatment. I found out I was pregnant with my second child a month before he was diagnosed, so being on Medical Assistance for myself also allowed me to access prenatal care while dealing with my son's treatment as well. It was a very stressful moment of my life, and without Medicaid, I would have been ruined financially and mentally. During that time, I had many moments of significant mental struggles due to finances, so I can’t imagine how much worse it would have been with medical bills piling up also. I am SO thankful for Medicaid and advocate for it whenever I can.

 “I still have one child that qualifies due to her age and the Medicaid expansion in Minnesota. With the rising cost of living and everything else, it allows me to get her the care she needs when it's needed. I don't have to play with her health because I know I can take her in to be treated without financial burden.

“Without Medical Assistance, I would struggle more financially, and it would greatly affect my mental health and my family's mental health, along with possibly our physical health. My two older children were kicked off earlier this year due to income and it's been a struggle now paying for private insurance and the out-of-pocket costs associated with that. It affects my ability to buy groceries or household items when I want to.”

 “I work as a Public Health Nurse in Maternal Child Health doing family home visiting. I'm very concerned about the impact cuts will have on my clients and their families. I don't want their medical care to be delayed because they're concerned about not being able to pay their bill when seen. They will just avoid going to the doctor, and I do believe there will be severe repercussions to this. I have seen an increase in cases with substance use, severe mental health, and autism, and I worry cuts will just exacerbate this growing problem. We need to be expanding to a universal care type setting, so everyone can get the help they need … and deserve!”