Billie Walker is a single mom of two who works for a non-profit serving the homeless. After several months without health insurance, Billie knew she had to find coverage for her daughter Bailee, who’s now 3 years old. Up to that point, Bailee only went to the doctor in emergency situations, which cost hundreds of dollars for each visit and caused Bailee to miss important milestones in her health care, such as immunizations and her first dental check up. That’s when Billie found Medicaid. She enrolled her child in a Medicaid managed care health plan and Bailee began getting the services she needed. Now Bailee is up to date on all of her immunizations, meets regularly with her doctor for well care check ups, and avoids expensive emergency room visits.
The impact of managed care goes much deeper than basic health care needs. Bailee receives ongoing speech and behavior therapies at no cost and is learning to use positive communication to interact with her classmates. As her mother explains, Bailee has gone from surviving her environment to thriving in her environment.