Please tell us how you, your family or your community has benefited from Medicaid coverage for dental care, vision care, and transportation assistance: I have a relative with no working vehicle who canÍt always get a ride who depends on transportation, but IÍve personally been lucky & not needed or had to use it, but IÍm a breakdown away from being in trouble myself. I had my eye exam back in March & got glasses after 5 years of not getting an exam. IÍve been unable to actually get dental care because IÍve tried calling for check-ups and a cleaning but every dentist who takes medicaid tells me theyÍre full except this time when I explained I had a broken molar they had me come in to see ñwhat were my options.î The dentist looked at the tooth & told me I needed between $500-750 cash someone could pay, or theyÍd take a check, and when I said I didnÍt have any income myself, the dentist said ñno one you could call? no one who will loan it to you? it looks painful,î with a smirk. None of the other dentists I called as far as three counties away would see any medicaid patients until the current issues ñsettle.î Obviously dental care is critical to anyoneÍs overall health, but if I die from an infected tooth„one less disabled person needing benefits.

Please tell us how eliminating these benefits would affect you, your family, or your community: Personally, I hope I donÍt die from oral infection„as anyone with a bad tooth could. People obviously need healthcare for their vision, especially with so many having high blood pressure or diabetes, and the means to get there if they donÍt have other transportation options„we donÍt even have cabs or rideshares or anything like that in my area, no mass transit. Our community will end up with many of us in the ER over our teeth, going blind if we have no vision care, and we have no other transit options in a rural area like the limited bus service in Louisville or Lexington and they made taxicabs illegal in our county so if you canÍt find a dependable ride you canÍt get get to appointments, some of which are life or death.