Winters Healthcare

“I don’t know what we will do if the Affordable Care Act is repealed and MediCal expansion goes away.”

Miguel and Janet own a small sign and lettering business in Winters and had always had active lifestyles. But when old injuries and health issues (including Miguel’s long-time knee problem) resurfaced, their activity levels began to decrease and they anticipated an increasing need for medical services.

The dilemma: because of the economy, the couple’s business income was decreasing, and the cost of medical insurance for themselves and their son (about $2500/month) was becoming burdensome. Miguel asked his doctor if he could quickly schedule knee surgery before the insurance was canceled, but the provider was unable to accommodate his request. The result: chronic knee pain and a family resigned to being uninsured.

A few years after they lost their health insurance, Janet suffered a major health scare. She tried to ignore the symptoms, but ended up in the emergency room and had numerous tests costing thousands of dollars. They were greatly relieved when they found out that she was okay, but the incident prompted Janet to explore options for health insurance.

After reaching out to enrollment counselors at the Winters Healthcare Foundation, Janet learned that the family might be eligible for Medi-Cal. But Miguel didn’t believe that there really was help for people like them, and wouldn’t move forward with the application.

In the meantime, Janet had another health care crisis – she found a lump in her breast. When a screening mammogram determined that it might be cancer, Miguel was frightened enough to take action. They obtained Medi-Cal coverage and Janet was able to get the services she needed. Now having coverage, Miguel decided it was time to finally address his debilitating knee pain. The health center referred him to an orthopedic surgeon who scheduled the surgery right away. The procedure, covered by Medi-Cal, was successful and Miguel is now back to his active lifestyle. “I never thought I could go back to

Now having coverage, Miguel decided it was time to finally address his debilitating knee pain. The health center referred him to an orthopedic surgeon who scheduled the surgery right away. The procedure, covered by Medi-Cal, was successful and Miguel is now back to his active lifestyle. “I never thought I could go back to weight lifting and kick-boxing,” he says. “It feels so good! This made a big difference in my life.”

Unfortunately, Miguel’s fear about being uninsured has returned, “I don’t know what we will do if the Affordable Care Act is repealed and Medi-Cal expansion goes away,” he explains. “They can’t just cut people off. I don’t want to lose this.”

Miguel – chronic knee pain
Janet – breast lump
Winters, California*