Falling through cracks if states don't expand Medicaid

From NBC News: (click for full article)

Derek Anderson never imagined he'd wind up on welfare. At 36, he has a college degree, a solid background in sales and three kids under the age of 7. He's also recovering from leukemia and since he lost his job and his employer-sponsored insurance, he’s been on Medicare, the federal health insurance plan for the disabled and elderly.

Anderson, who now relies on Social Security disability payments for income while he tries to get back on his feet, worries about whether he can get a job with health insurance. If he starts working, he'll lose eligibility for Social Security and Medicare -- but he and his wife, Erica, would likely be eligible for Medicaid if his home state, Montana, expands it as called for under the 2010 health reform law and offers it to low-income adults. However, their future is now unclear after the Supreme Court said states can opt out of the expansion.

He says he's worked hard to pay all his medical bills and says opponents of health care reform have overlooked people like him, who are not seeking a free ride. “I have a college degree. I had a job. When something like this hits you, [people like me] have no idea how the welfare system works because they never needed it,” Anderson said in a telephone interview.