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In 2005, Flecia, now 57, was working full-time as a massage therapist. She had just gotten her license, and she was thrilled to be doing work she loved. She bought private health insurance for herself and was, in her words, “healthy as a horse.”
But the lump she found in her breast turned everything upside down. On December 23, 2005, Flecia was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of breast cancer. She quickly found out that not only would it be impossible for her to pay her $10,000 deducible, but many of the medications and treatments she would need to fight her cancer diagnosis would not be covered by her insurance plan.
Flecia called the American Cancer Society for help and was advised to apply for Medicaid. She was approved for the program almost immediately. Flecia is beyond grateful for the coverage Medicaid offered: “If it hadn’t been for Medicaid, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Medicaid paid for all her chemotherapy, surgeries, and other treatments. Because of the aggressive nature of the cancer, Flecia’s treatments were strong, and she had “every side effect known to man.” There were days where she couldn’t get out of bed, and she was in constant pain.
But Flecia kept fighting, and she is now cancer-free. If she hadn’t been able to get her health insurance through Medicaid, Flecia knows she wouldn’t have been able to afford the treatments that helped her survive cancer. “Medicaid saved my life,” she said.
