Living with disability harder when Medicaid adds red tape

to work — or even drive. Meanwhile, people with employer-based or private coverage end up with more reasonable and convenient options.

A few months ago, while visiting family in Ohio after graduation, I began showing painful symptoms from my condition and was unable to get any substantial treatment using my Florida coverage. Doctors told me that my options either were stabilization through morphine in the emergency room or the specialized care my condition requires, which would have meant astronomical costs because I would need to see a specialist.

Rather than get the care I needed, I did what I could to manage the pain, and waited until I was back in Florida to address the root of my symptoms.

These challenges are the result of a poorly implemented system that aims to profit instead of helping those in need. Instead, America needs to invest in systems that put people first and reflect the value that no one should go without care.

Now House Republicans are considering dramatic cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, two programs that benefit those who most need help affording health care. We need to invest in the health of our people and ensure that more people do not face the same challenges I have in accessing treatment.

We must enact reforms that address the bureaucracies in Medicaid that block recipients from accessing services, and ensure that all Americans can get care from the providers that offer the care they need. I urge lawmakers to invest in a system that allows universal coverage for everyone, not just the wealthy and the privileged.