Medicaid Protects Families from Insurmountable Medical Debt

Steve Powell has always been a hard worker. Born in Lawrence County and raised in Lewis County, he’s a Tennessean through and through, with a resume as solid as his work ethic. He’s been a tunneling operative in Nashville and Alabama, a supervisor in a PVC pipe factory, and the driving force behind a home remodeling small business in Columbia, TN. 

One of Steve’s most admirable characteristics is his integrity— a character trait he proved early in his remodeling career. One of his first jobs turned out to be fixing work done by the previous owners of the business. 

“I pulled up in my truck and the homeowner wouldn’t let me get out. She was yelling about the shoddy work done before. I eked out of my truck and after yelling at me some more I finally got her calmed down. I told her we would fix whatever needed fixing and would not charge her anything. She ended up hugging my neck and sending us 6-7 new customers. It was the right thing to do. Quality first. We had a 100% satisfaction rate.” 

After 12 years of remodeling work, Steve had a life-changing stroke. 

In 2010, Steve collapsed at work and was rushed to the hospital. A brain aneurysm had ruptured, causing a stroke that left him in a coma and paralyzed on one side. “I shouldn’t even be alive,” he says.  

Steve survived, but at a steep cost. Steve was left permanently disabled with $2 million in medical debt. He lost his home, filed for bankruptcy, and moved with his children into a rental house in Lawrenceburg: “I lost everything but a car I bought from a friend for $350.” 

Today, Steve is a single dad raising two middle-school-aged kids. He can no longer work, and he relies on Social Security Disability Insurance to get by. What helps keep his family afloat is TennCare — Tennessee’s Medicaid program. 

Because Steve is the primary caregiver for his children, he qualifies for TennCare through the caretaker relative category, a vital part of Tennessee’s Medicaid program that ensures low-income parents and guardians of minor children can access health coverage. Without this eligibility category, countless parents like Steve would be uninsured, despite being responsible for the health and well-being of their children. 

For Steve, TennCare is nothing short of a lifeline. “We’re in poverty as it is. If you take away TennCare, where are we gonna be then?” he asks. There is no way Steve could pay for what he needs without health insurance.  

Steve also has Medicare, but it doesn’t cover everything — especially the high costs of ongoing care. He recently underwent another brain surgery to replace old coils with stents to improve blood flow. “I’ve got two stents now. The aneurysm is still pretty big,” he says. 

TennCare picks up where Medicare leaves off. It keeps the bills from piling up. It protects Steve from more medical debt. And most importantly, it allows him to keep showing up for his kids.