My Story: A Slippery Slope

Posted March 3, 2015

From one of our members, Mary Einspahr:

I didn’t grow up in poverty. Growing up my dad worked a stable job at a major corporation. We lived in a nice house. We took family vacations. We never had to worry about having enough to eat.

However, I fell into poverty at the ripe age of 23.

Last winter, my health insurance wouldn’t cover my medical needs and it was about to expire anyway. I found myself broke, without adequate health care, and forced to quit school due to a chronic health condition. It wasn’t until I applied for MNsure and was granted Medical Assistance that I began to receive adequate, affordable health care. Through Medical Assistance, Minnesota’s Medicaid program, I was able to attend outpatient treatments for addiction, which I still attend to this day. MNsure saved my life; I’m now over one year sober and in a much better place. My Medical Assistance fully covers my health care needs; in addition to treatment, it covers my doctor visits and covered three ER trips after a bike accident last April.

While I’m grateful for my affordable health plan, this is not a perfect system. In order to keep Medical Assistance, I have to stay below the poverty line, which means earning less than $15,000 a year.… Continue reading »