My disabled daughter, Rachel, recently received a small “raise” in her monthly Social Security check, which caused her to lose her Medicaid coverage. This news was absolutely devastating. Rachel lives with Down Syndrome and Epilepsy, and her monthly medication costs are about $20,000. Without her Epilepsy medications, her life would be in danger. Losing Medicaid would also mean losing access to adult day care in Waco, respite care, and her much-needed monthly supply of adult diapers.
As her mother, legal guardian, and advocate, I’ve spent countless hours on the phone, sending emails, attending meetings, and praying for a solution to restore Rachel’s Medicaid. After a relentless effort, I was recently informed that Rachel qualifies for a program called DAC (Disabled Adult Children), which will restore her Medicaid benefits. What an incredible relief!
Going through this terrifying experience of nearly losing Rachel’s vital medical coverage has shown me firsthand how crucial it is to have someone in the Texas House of Representatives who understands the needs of the disabled. The disabled and elderly communities in Texas desperately need a strong advocate, and I believe that, as a mother and advocate for a disabled child, I can be that voice.
Throughout Rachel’s many hospitalizations here in McLennan County, I’ve heard from countless healthcare professionals about how financially crippling it is for Scott & White, Ascension Providence, and Waco Family Health to lose billions in tax dollars every year because the Republicans in Austin refuse to expand Medicaid. I’ve sat down with leaders of adult day care centers and watched tears well up in their eyes as they explained that this refusal has left Central Texas with only one group home for disabled adults.
I have lived through the bureaucratic nightmare of fighting to restore Medicaid coverage for my daughter—a fight that, for many families, is too difficult to navigate alone. I know what it means to struggle for your child’s life, and now I’m ready to take that fight, armed with my experience, to Austin.
For the past 26 years, I have seen the world through the eyes of a disabled child. Now, I want to be the voice for the disabled in Austin.
Vote Erin Shank for Texas House on November 5th.
Paid political advertisement by Erin Shank for Texas House.
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