Age: 54
Enrolled in: Medicaid
Final premium: $0
Before the ACA, Doris had to forego preventive screenings due to cost.
Now, Doris can go to the doctor for free and get the care she needs.

Doris, now 54, has lived in Queens her entire life, and is a waitress there. Her job did not offer health insurance, but brought in too much income to make her Medicaid eligible. Due to her lack of insurance she struggled to get the medication, medical and mental health services she needed. “Medical, dental, and mental health are very important,” Doris says.  “You need medical care to make positive changes in your life. If you can’t afford them, it creates stress and anxiety and recovery doesn’t happen.” One doctor would charge her less to come in if she was sick, but she could not afford any preventive care.

When she went to a Get Covered New York event at her local CVS, she began to have some hope of getting affordable insurance. She made an appointment with a Navigator at the Community Service Society, where she found out that due to Medicaid Expansion, she was now Medicaid eligible. Doris was overjoyed. “It was a good experience. They said if I have any questions I can call. It went pretty quick. I was surprised I qualified for Medicaid,” Doris said. Doris wanted more than anything just to stay healthy. Now she can.

“Medical, dental, and mental health are very important. You need medical care to make positive changes in your life. If you can’t afford them, it creates stress and anxiety and recovery doesn’t happen.”

Special thanks to Raising Women’s Voices for contributing this story!