Mental health care is healthcare. Medicaid is an important part of my mental healthcare journey. Medicaid provides access to the medication I take every day to live a normal life. Medicaid provides the security that I will be able to get the care I need when I need it. Medicaid allows me to be a productive member of society, allowing me to work and pay my taxes.
Just like any other disease, early detection and consistent treatment for behavioral health can make all of the difference in managing outcomes. 1 in 5 sufferers will commit suicide and as much as 42% of the homeless population suffers with Bipolar disorder. The median age of onset is 25, which is coincidentally just before many adults are no longer able to remain on their parents’ health plans.
Four years ago, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 at the same time I was finishing an undergraduate college degree and entering into the workforce. My Bipolar disorder presents in two extremes. For months or years, I will be stable on my daily dose of lithium, morning and night. I am able to hold down any full time work I enjoy doing and save money. During my diagnosis and initial treatment, stress about health insurance and regular doctors’ bills had little impact, as I was covered by my parents’ insurance.
I have been admitted to a psychiatric facility three times in the four years since my diagnosis during manic episodes. Even on stable medication and treatments, it is probable that I will continue to get debilitating manic episodes for the rest of my life. When I am manic I will go five days without being able to sleep. I cannot drive. I cannot function. While I was on my parents’ insurance, cost of care was not a barrier.
Managing Bipolar Disorder involves a team of essential providers- from bi-weekly specialist and regular endocrinologist visits and to quarterly psychiatrist checks. This list also does not include all of the other standard healthcare needs, like my eye doctor, dentist, gynecologist, primary care doctor, dermatologist, and additional care I may need when I am manic or depressive. Not surprisingly, I could never afford all of this care out-of-pocket, but I cannot survive without it.
After aging out of that plan, I found myself faced with thousands of dollars in medical bills. It is an especially hard, sobering reality to return to after being in the psychiatric facility. It can take months before I am well enough to support myself financially, let alone hold down a full time job for health insurance purposes. I was terrified at what being uninsured would mean for the management of my health. Was I doomed to the grim statistics if I couldn’t afford to take my regular medications? Would the next break be my last if I couldn’t get the inpatient care needed to get me back on track? Would I end up hurting myself or someone else in a manic state and get swept up in the criminal justice system? Would I end up on the streets or worse? Luckily, a colleague told me I might qualify for Medicaid now that Missouri has expanded it. I applied immediately and feel incredibly fortunate to be one of the first to receive coverage after they begane processing applications. I really, truly needed the coverage.
The security of being on Medicaid is the greatest gift to anyone living with extreme diagnosed mental disorders. Life with Bipolar is a bit of a high wire act, and Medicaid provides me with a safety net to keep me safe if I should fall.