CW: Poverty
Some letters can make you feel like your world turned upside down. Erica Carter received a letter like this in 2023. At the time, she was the finance manager for the Omaha Nation Public Schools District and helped finance various projects such as parks and gardens.
Unfortunately, her income made her ineligible to receive Medicaid. Because she earned $110,000, she was faced with a devastating choice: to quit or retain her Medicaid benefits. Ironically, a program meant to help disabled workers forced her to make the choice.
In 2018, Anna Landre was in a similar predicament. She was a sophomore at Georgetown University when she was given the opportunity to apply for a paid internship. This internship was a chance to develop her career, but it was also a paid internship, and by accepting the internship, she would make too much money to keep her Medicaid which covered her home care services. Landre had to make a decision between starting her career or keeping the support which made pursuing her education and a career possible.
At age seventeen, Katie Vree of Illinois became a wheelchair user. Like many people, she did the responsible thing and started saving for her retirement. Later she found out that she had gone over Illinois’s $17,500 asset limit. Because of this, her retirement savings made her lose her Medicaid coverage, which funded her home healthcare services.
The thing about disability policy is that it isn’t just a set of rules. It’s based on antiquated assumptions about disabled people that have never really changed. So much of the system was built on the idea that disabled people wouldn’t work, wouldn’t get married, and wouldn’t save money. Those beliefs influenced the laws. Even now, they decide what we are allowed to do. If you receive Supplemental Security Income and you get married, you can lose your benefits. The SSI asset limit hasn’t changed in thirty-seven years. So many programs still have income limits that punish people for wanting to reach their goals.
I wish it were easier to figure out these systems. I am twenty-six. Many of my peers have spent their twenties working, building savings, and moving forward. I have spent mine trying to figure out how to navigate bureaucracy. For many people, figuring out how to navigate these systems feels like a full-time job. One that never ends, one that impacts every choice, and one that makes you think about consequences that most people never have to consider.
Sources:
Carino, Jerry. “NJ Forces Disabled Howell Student to Make Brutal Choice: Internship or Health Aide Money.” Asbury Park Press, Gannett, 21 May 2018, http://www.app.com/story/news/local/values/2018/05/21/disabled-howell-student-nj-forces-choice-internship-health-aide/610909002/.
Krebs, Natalie. “People with Disabilities Say Medicaid Income Limits Can Stifle Career Advancement.” NPR, 10 Aug. 2026, https://www.npr.org/2026/08/10/nx-s1-5910791/disabilities-people-work-requirements-medicaid-income-caps-buy-in.
Romig, Kathleen, et al. “The Case for Updating SSI Asset Limits.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 25 July 2023, http://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/the-case-for-updating-ssi-asset-limits.
Victory, Lauren. “Chicago Area Woman’s Disability Benefits at Risk Because She’s Saved for Retirement.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 2 Oct. 2023, http://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/woman-disability-benefits-risk/.