While the latest Republican health care overhaul teeters near collapse, one group in particular is watching with heightened anxiety.
The debate in Congress is personal for many of those who gained coverage through Medicaid in the 31 states that expanded the program under former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Medicaid expansion brought health insurance to some 11 million lower-income Americans, but the program would end in three years under the Republican bill.
Alan Purser is a 60-year-old diabetic who lives in eastern Arkansas. He credits expanded Medicaid with saving his life, after a routine doctor’s visit ended with him being hospitalized and treated for multiple blood clots in both lungs.
Purser said he would not be able to afford his insulin medication because he does not qualify for traditional Medicaid.