MaineCare Changed My Life
Rebecca is 22 years old and lives in Lisbon. She works as a nurse’s aide on an Alzheimer’s and
dementia unit. Rebecca had been without insurance for about a year before she was able to enroll in
MaineCare under the so-called “noncategorical program” (adults between the ages of 21 and 64 who are not
disabled and have no minor children at home). She was working at the time, trying to save money for college.
Despite often feeling sick, she avoided making an appointment with a doctor because she had no
insurance to pay for care. She describes that period of her life:
“I was working anywhere from 40 to 60 hours a week waitressing. I was sick. I was always coming down
with colds, I was extremely tired and my body was extremely weak.”
As soon as Rebecca was told that she was eligible for MaineCare she went to the doctor, was diagnosed
with diabetes, and began the treatments she needed to regain her health. It took seven months to work out
the best treatment for her form of diabetes. She describes this time as being very difficult:
“It is such a hard disease and it is so different for each person that has it. I couldn’t control it
with just insulin shots. I did that from February to November. I was in and out of the hospital.
I was sick all the time and I couldn’t work. It was horrible. It was keeping me away from everything.”
Since beginning her new treatments, Rebecca feels much better. She’s now working and taking courses.
The certificates she earns will allow her to take on more responsibility at work and earn higher wages.
She is hoping to then qualify for health care benefits through her employer. She is also in the process
of enrolling in nursing school. She states:
“I want to get my RN, so I can be a nurse educator. It all leads up to wanting to help little kids
that have diabetes.”
She attributes her good health and many of the positive changes in her life to having MaineCare
through the noncategorical program. She is concerned that many young people like her are without
health insurance. She reflects:
“It is a huge burden to stress about all those medical bills. It is very important for somebody my
age to know that there is something to fall back on in case you ever do get stuck. MaineCare has
definitely helped me. My health has gotten a lot better. I take a lot better care of myself in every
aspect - exercising, a new job, and taking classes - because now I am able to!”
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