"We've got each other" thanks to Medicaid

If you ask Roberta Duenas what she thinks of Medicaid, her answer is simple.

"Medicaid saved my husband’s life.”

Roberta, 66, and Eddie, 59, have lived in southern Oregon for 25 years, residing now in Rogue Valley. She has been disabled for years, from lupus and respiratory issues. Her husband has been her caregiver, but he faces health challenges of his own: asthma and an enlarged heart.

The Duenas’ first obtained coverage on the Oregon Health Plan through the lottery 10 years ago after enrollment was frozen in 2002. Eddie’s Medicaid coverage was renewed in 2013 as Oregon expanded the program through the Affordable Care Act.

It’s a good thing, too, says Roberta, because in 2015 Eddie was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His wife says the regular checkups made possible by his Medicaid coverage enabled his doctor to detect the cancer early. Eddie had robot assisted surgery at Providence Medford to remove the tumor, and he’s now cancer free.

Without Medicaid, Roberta says “he’d be getting sicker and sicker.” Without coverage, she’s convinced that the cancer would not have been caught early enough. Roberta can’t imagine what her life would be like without her husband. “If he wasn’t here, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t know how I would cope with my medical problems,” she said. But that’s not something she has to consider right now.

“I have my husband. We have our life together.”

That's powerful testimony from Roberta Duenas about the importance of Medicaid coverage. Help us ensure that Oregonians keep theirs. Click here to join the fight to protect Medicaid!