Maria’s Story: A Full-Time Job Isn’t Enough When Medications Cost More Than the Electric Bill
Maria and her husband Shawn live in Davenport, Iowa. She works full-time and receives health insurance through her employer. But because of the cost of her medical needs and prescriptions, Medicaid has become an important secondary source of coverage that helps fill in the gaps. Maria and Shawn currently receive Medicaid through Iowa’s Medicaid expansion program. She budgets carefully. And still, her family has had to choose between keeping the lights on and affording the medications that keep them alive.
Maria manages diabetes and other long-term health effects from a severe case of COVID-19 in 2021 — an illness that put her in the ICU, on a ventilator, and in the hospital for months. Shawn lives with epilepsy and depends on daily medication to prevent seizures. For their household, affordable healthcare isn’t a policy talking point. It’s survival.
“No family should have to choose between keeping the lights on, having running water, or accessing healthcare. Yet that is the reality many families face every day.”
Now, their Medicaid coverage is also facing uncertainty. Maria and Shawn recently received letters outlining changes for the coming year and based on those changes, they may no longer qualify for Medicaid expansion in the future. They are still waiting to see how the process plays out, adding another layer of uncertainty for a family already working to afford the care they need.
A Working Family, Squeezed From Every Direction
Medicaid has been a lifeline for Shawn’s epilepsy care and an important source of secondary coverage for Maria. But for Maria, the cost of the prescriptions that control her diabetes has climbed sharply and that increase doesn’t stay contained to a pharmacy counter. It ripples through the whole household budget.
Recently, Maria and Shawn received shut-off notices for both their electric and water service while trying to keep up with medication costs at the same time. It’s a scenario playing out in working families across the country: when prescription prices rise, something else has to give: utilities, groceries, rent.
“Healthcare costs don’t exist in a vacuum. When medication prices rise, families are often forced to cut back elsewhere.”
What Needs to Change
Maria isn’t asking for anything extraordinary, just a system where working people with chronic conditions and disabilities aren’t one prescription refill away from a utility shut-off notice.
Protect and strengthen Medicaid instead of making it more difficult for working families like Maria and Shawn to enroll in and keep their coverage. For families like Maria and Shawn’s, Medicaid is what stands between a manageable chronic condition and a medical emergency.
Lower prescription drug costs. Diabetes medication shouldn’t be a line item families have to weigh against their electric bill.
Treat preventive coverage as cost-saving, not optional. Medicaid helps people manage serious conditions before they become emergencies; protecting both health outcomes and health system costs.
Why It Matters
Maria knows her family isn’t alone. Across Iowa and the country, working people are making impossible choices between healthcare, housing, food, and utilities — not because they’re irresponsible with money, but because the cost of staying healthy has outpaced what a full-time paycheck can cover.
“I hope my story helps people understand that Medicaid is not just a government program — it is a lifeline. Protecting and strengthening Medicaid means protecting real people, real families, and real communities.”
Your Story Can Help Drive Change
If you or someone you love relies on Medicaid, your voice matters. Share your story here — your experience helps policymakers understand what’s really at stake, and helps us push for a system that actually works for families like yours.