For One Senior, Medicaid Provides Model Care

Petersen says her mom couldn't afford the nursing home on her own. Her Social Security income is $600 a month and after selling her house she cleared only $3,500. A doctor suggested signing up for Medicaid to pay the $80,000 a year bill for her long-term care. Scarrow is left with about $50 of her Social Security check each month for spending money.

Petersen said, at first, her mother was embarrassed about accepting government help, because she's always been independent and supported herself. Much of her life was spent in facilities like this one, as a nurse's assistant.

"Mom worked in an era when health care was what it was called. It was called care. Kindness and care. In today's world, health care is money," said Petersen.

States Feel The Pinch

Colorado has nearly a half-million people on Medicaid and, like in a lot of other states, that number rose dramatically in the past year, increasing by more than 10 percent. The economy and unemployment are largely to blame.

Are You Covered?

A look at Americans and health insurance.

Interactive: Are You Covered?

Typically states and the federal government split the cost of Medicaid, though with the recent stimulus money the federal government is picking up a larger share now. Even with that help, Colorado has difficulty paying its share. Recently the governor trimmed payments to doctors and hospitals to help balance the state's budget.

Hoping For Overhaul

Politically, Petersen says she typically votes Republican. But last year she voted for Obama, and she's excited about efforts to overhaul health care in the United States. She's frustrated with the costs of her own coverage, but very happy with the Medicaid coverage her mother receives.

She doesn't have a specific solution for health care overhaul, but she does support things like tort reform and tighter regulations for insurance companies. In coming months, she'll watch closely to see what solutions policymakers in Washington come up with.

Share 17Facebook 0Twitter Email Comment More From Health Care PoliticsMapping The Effects Of The Sequester On ScienceHealthHealth Insurers Brace For Consumer Ratings In Some StatesHealthA Mother's Death Tested Reporter's Thinking About End-Of-Life CareHealthNintendo Wii Helped Budding Surgeons Move To Head Of The Class

More From Health Care

Comments   You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login / Register

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

Please enable Javascript to view the comments powered by Disqus.