April 15, 2018 IN: Community Stories, Our Voices

A Mother’s Love: Mee Lor’s Medi-Cal Story

When Mee Lor’s son was born with only one kidney, she was devastated. She worked at Panda Express and didn’t have health insurance. Medical bills were piling up.  She recalls, “Everyday I woke up crying because I gave birth to him but couldn’t do anything about his medical bills. I cried every time I looked at the medical bills because I couldn’t afford them. I didn’t even want to take my son into the hospital if it was going to be that expensive.”

When Mee found out she qualified for Medi-Cal, she applied the next day. Her application was expedited, and before long, she had the support she needed to make sure her son stayed healthy. “I felt so relieved after that and didn’t have any suicide thoughts about myself and my son. I didn’t have to worry as much about money and how I was able to support my son.”

When the Republican-controlled Congress began to introduce legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion, the federal version of Medi-Cal, Mee knew she had to speak out.

Learn more about SEARAC’s work to protect the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion.