Kathleen is a single mom, a domestic violence survivor, a small business owner — and she’s on Medicaid. On Sunday, she came out to the Drive for Our Lives bus tour event in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico and shared her story.
“While I was in a domestic violence situation, I didn’t take care of my health. When my son, Walter, and I got out of the situation, one of the first things that I did was go to the doctor because I know it’s very important to have self-care when your healing from a situation like that.
There is a stigma attached to being on Medicaid. Some people claim that if you’re on Medicaid, you’re lazy and you don’t want to work. I’m here to break that stigma. I work all the time and I try my best to expand my business—because my goal is to make enough money so that I don’t need Medicaid. For right now, having that safety net and knowing I have health insurance is such a huge relief.
I was born and raised here in Albuquerque. I went away to a few places, but I’m back and I’m trying to be as involved in my community as possible. Because of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion, I was able to start my own business and can continue to be a productive member of this community.”
Watch our entire Albuquerque event here.
