Thirty-three-year-old Melissa Lawson is a mom to two boys: 12-year-old D’Michael and 7-year-old Philip. Like millions of Americans, she works hard to make ends meet and care for her family. Living in Charlotte, North Carolina, and working as a medical biller, Lawson has also faced her fair share of medical emergencies—not only was she diagnosed with cervical cancer (she has since gone into remission), but her sons have also faced their own serious health obstacles. And like parents across the country, Lawson has struggled to deal with the sky-high costs of health care. But fortunately for her and her two boys, they’ve had the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to fall back on when times were hard.

Launched in 1997, CHIP was created with the goal of providing health care for children and pregnant women in low- to middle-income households whose annual incomes were just slightly higher than the Medicaid threshold. Twenty years after its initial launch, CHIP now covers 9 million children and 370,000 pregnant women. The program was set up to be a joint venture between the state and federal governments, with most of its financing coming from federal grants that are given to the states. Funding needs to be periodically reauthorized, but last month, Congress allowed CHIP’s financing to lapse. If the program isn’t reauthorized soon, states could run out of money—some even as soon as this year.

As Congress neglects to take any action to save the program, Glamour caught up with Lawson to hear how CHIP has impacted her life. Here, she shares her story. As told to Maggie Mallon.

Earlier this year, I found myself in a situation where I didn’t have health insurance because I had switched jobs. One night, my 7-year-old son started throwing up. He said he felt fine the next day, so he went to school. But when he got home, he said he wasn’t feeling well again and soon passed out. I put him in the car to take him to the hospital, and as we were driving he said, “Mommy, I’m so sorry. I’m going to die.” It was horrible. I was scared. He was scared. I didn’t know what was going on.

I was especially nervous because we didn’t have coverage, and I didn’t know what they were going to say in the emergency room. A financial worker in the emergency room said not to worry and she would help me get this visit paid for. Test results showed that my son had norovirus, and he stayed in the hospital for an entire week. During that week, the hospital helped me get both of my sons approved for the North Carolina Health Choice for Children program [the state’s CHIP option].

I had another scare when I was pregnant with my younger son. As I was trying to sleep, my older son woke up and said he couldn’t breathe. I called 911. They asked me if I had a paper bag he could breathe into and I thought, Who has a paper bag lying around the house?! We went to the emergency room; my son was cared for, and I learned he has asthma. After we left the hospital, I was contacted about signing my son up for CHIP. I didn’t think I qualified because I earned too much, but a financial worker encouraged me to apply. So I did and I was able to get him on N.C. Health Choice at that time.

We’ve been part of the CHIP program on and off for the past few years, depending on whether I was able to get my sons on my own health insurance plans through my employer. But the program has been a big help for me. I am married, but I’m separated—it’s more like I’m a single mom. I’m raising my sons by myself. Without this program, I don’t know what would happen to my kids. I am so grateful that they were able to get coverage and have been able to go to the doctor on the regular. Without this program, we wouldn’t have that. This program really made a big difference in our lives. They’re able to be happy, healthy kids.

As a mom, it’s hard to see your kids suffer and feel like you can’t do anything about it. You work as hard as you can to be able to afford everything, but sometimes things fall by the wayside. Not on purpose, but because you have to make a choice between feeding your kids or taking them to the doctor. That’s a hard choice to make. It’s not fair to any child to ever have to go without health care in the United States.

Melissa Lawson and her sons Philip (left) and D’Michael (right) enjoy a day at the beach.

I work as a medical biller, and it makes me want to cry when I see patients who aren’t able to get a treatment they need because their insurance plan doesn’t pay for it or because their out-of-pocket costs would be too high. We’re in the United States of America. Nobody should have to suffer before they can afford to go to the doctor.

If we let a program like CHIP go away, then what happens to the children? What happens to our future? They’re sending a message that they do not care about the future generation.

Think about all these kids with juvenile diabetes. What are you going to tell those kids? “Oh well, you can’t get your insulin because Congress didn’t want to pass a law”? That’s what they’re saying to every child in America—that we don’t care if you live to see your 18th birthday. I know that sounds so detrimental, but it’s so much the truth.

For my older son, one of the biggest benefits for him is seeing a therapist, We’ve had a lot going on in our lives and he needs to talk to somebody other than his parent. During his checkup, he asked his doctor about this and she was able to refer him to someone. That’s something I could never have given him before. I could never afford a psychiatrist. Just the fact that this program allows him to see someone twice a month—that’s amazing. He’s happier, he’s more outgoing. Before he didn’t really smile a lot, he didn’t talk a lot. Being able to talk to someone has really made a difference.

CHIP is for kids. It’s not for adults. If you don’t care enough to at least renew it to make sure every child is protected, then you’re saying that ultimately, you do not care about the future. It does not matter to you if our kids are healthy.

Members of Congress should put themselves in the shoes of average Americans. Even in two-income families, health care costs are too high because grocery costs are high. Gas costs are high. Everything else is so expensive. Health care gets pushed aside until you have an emergency. But health care should be the number-one priority—especially for children.

Source link