How Medicaid gave Rickey the strength to keep going

A face of Medicaid in our community

Rickey, 63, lives in a rural community in California’s Central Valley. He is a proud father and husband who has always worked hard to take care of his family.

In January 2024, life for Rickey and his family took a drastic change when he was diagnosed with a devastating health condition. He spent months at a time in the hospital, many of them at tertiary care centers hours away from his friends, family and home. He also needed additional rehabilitation in a nursing facility. During this time, Rickey was thankful that he had Medicaid (aka Medi-Cal) to cover the costs that his Medicare Advantage Plan did not cover.

Help healing at home

After Rickey was discharged from rehab in October 2024 and was able to return home, he notified his case manager that he was not able to afford the diet that his doctor prescribed him. He was referred to a Saint Agnes Community Health Worker to help meet his social determinants, and through this assistance, he was approved for an in-home service worker, an energy discount program, Cal-Fresh and Groceries2Go. Rickey and his family are grateful for these services, which have allowed him to focus on his health.

In January 2025, Rickey experienced another hurdle when his plan was changed to a different Medicaid program that required him to cover a larger share of costs out-of-pocket before care was covered. He was suddenly unable to pay his caregiver or receive food benefits, which caused a tremendous amount of stress. He had seen the improvement the Medicaid programs had on his life, and was afraid that without them, he would end up back in the hospital and possibly not make it through.

Thankfully, Rickey was able to enter back into a full coverage Medicaid program through a local community program that reinstated his Medicaid benefits. Rickey once again is able to focus on his health, going to his doctor appointments and continuing with his rehabilitation, which have helped him stay out of the hospital since October 2024.

Medicaid by the numbers in California

Medicaid provides a lifeline for 72 million Americans, including children, older adults and people with disabilities. Seniors count on Medicaid to access long-term nursing home care and programs that allow people to age in place instead of an institutional setting. 

• 13,617,100 — enrolled in Medicaid
• 5.3 million — enrolled in Medicaid Expansion
• 61% — adults on Medicaid work
• 40% — of births covered by MediCaid
• 3 in 7 — children covered
• 3 in 5 — nursing home residents covered

Affordable health care should be accessible to all. Congress should preserve and protect access to Medicaid for all Americans. 

Rickey's story matters

As Congress continues to explore cuts to Medicaid, these cuts impact all of us. Rickey's story serves as a reminder of why we need to tell Congress to #ProtectMedicaid.

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Your voice matters

Medicaid provides health care coverage to more than 72 million Americans. Make your voice heard and help us tell Congress to protect Medicaid.

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