How Losing Medicaid Impacted One Tennessean

Shawna Delk, a 41-year-old Tennessean, is a fighter. Often tangled in the red tape of a complicated medical system, Shawna’s life has been defined by her resilience. Paralyzed on her right side from several strokes and living with several health disorders, Shawna has faced countless misdiagnoses and bureaucratic hurdles. For her, TennCare Medicaid has given her stability and respite from the challenges of her daily life.  

In the fall of 2023, Shawna unexpectedly lost her coverage. The loss hit hard: “I can’t even afford insulin or inhalers; I give up other things to afford it... I’m only buying necessities.” 

After a year and a half of paperwork, appeals, and sleepless nights, Shawna was ultimately approved for TennCare Medicaid through the CHOICES program, which provides long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities. Now, her sister – a professional caregiver – can provide her in-home care. With Medicaid, Shawna can afford routine doctor visits, therapies, and medications without worrying about medical debt. With CHOICES, Shawna says she feels “more understood than ever before.”  

Shawna knows from experience what losing Medicaid would mean for many Tennesseans: “When people are living hand to mouth, if one little thing goes wrong, your life can fall apart so quick.” Since getting her Medicaid coverage back, Shawna has turned to local advocacy, assisting her neighbors as best she can with the program that she now knows so well. “This is what I want to do with the rest of my life,” she proclaims, “is help people!”  

Shawna knows what it is like to have Medicaid, and she also knows what it is like to lose it – and because of this, she knows just how much Medicaid Matters for herself and the rest of her community.