Moran Fewell : My name is Moran Fewell. I live in Saint Albans, West Virginia in Kanawha County and I'm 43 years old. I have Medicaid. It has helped me because I am now able to afford my medication for anxiety and depression. It was unaffordable before. And also I am able to see my OBGYN for routine gynecological care nearby. I used to have to travel over an hour to see her at a different facility because the only way I could get the low cost free was to do that. Now that I have Medicaid, I can see her five minutes from where I work and it's less expensive and much more convenient.
How did you first enroll in WV Medicaid?
Was it an easy process?
Moran Fewell : I tried to get medical insurance through the online platform and they told me that my income was low enough that should be able to get through the state. But then I didn't hear from the state for about six months. So I didn't know if I had insurance or not. And when I tried to log on online and see if an application I had no information to do that. So you just kind of waited and then one day insurance showed up and said, "Hey, this card applies for the last three months," but I hadn't been getting health care because I didn't know I had it. So that was kind of a difficult process.
Have you experienced any negativity or embarrassment due to your Medicaid status?
Moran Fewell : I was at my children's dentist office and I was thinking about also potentially having dental care done. And when I mentioned that I had Medicaid, they said, "Oh no we don't take that," and had kind of an attitude about it. So that was, that was embarrassing.
Do you have any trouble accessing health care with Medicaid?
Moran Fewell : I've had difficulty finding places that would accept the insurance. And then it seems that the places that do accept Medicaid either aren't taking new patients or the booking process. They were seeing like 4 or 5, 6 months ahead. Some of the better places in our area don't accept Medicaid. So that was discouraging. We eventually found a primary care physician that does. But also the specific health plan that I'm on through Medicaid doesn't have any vision benefits for me. So I would like to be able to switch, but you can't.
What health care benefits are important to your family?
Moran Fewell : There really need to be more maintenance options, routine dental care. It only covers emergencies and dentists, consider very few things emergencies. So your teeth have to be practically falling out of your head before you can get any kind of assistance. And there's no vision coverage and that's kind of important. Mostly those things, the dental and vision through Medicaid is impossible.
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