Sherolyn Tramel has been able to maintain her health and well-being into her retirement years with help from the affordable, high-quality preventive and integrated care delivered through her Medicaid coverage. As a retiree, Sherolyn is dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid coverage, and credits her continued general health to the preventive care and services she has received. Some of those services include annual flu and pneumonia shots, motor functions exams, blood work, melanoma checks, and mammograms.
The integrated care and services offered through Sherolyn’s Medicaid coverage have allowed her to access the care she needs, from consulting with her primary care physician, the pharmacy, or to visits with specialists like the dermatologist or osteopath. When she does experience health problems, Sherolyn knows that she is able to get the essential care and services she requires — like her monthly cholesterol prescription or a recent visit the osteopath for a knee issue — at a price she can afford. “My Medicaid coverage provides me with peace of mind and better coverage than I’ve had in the past,” she reflected.
Sherolyn is especially grateful for Medicaid as an American 65+ living in the COVID-19 crisis. “I know I will be covered if I need to be tested or hospitalized,” she said. But she worries about proposed cuts to state Medicaid programs, explaining “Cutting Medicaid amid the pandemic is unspeakable, especially for those like me, who need the coverage most.”