Nadia Gompers, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy who relies on a motorized wheelchair, has been left without essential Medicaid coverage after her insurance was unexpectedly denied at the end of July.
WATCH: Woman with cerebral palsy loses Medicaid coverage in Maryland
The young woman, who has lived her entire life needing assistance, was approved for Medicaid assistance through the Maryland Department of Health earlier this year.
However, the sudden loss of coverage has created significant financial and care challenges for her family.
"My insurance got denied, which means that I lost everything like my medicine, my mom has to pay for my AFOs that I use for my feet. My mom has to pay for. I can't get a caregiver anymore. Now I have to rely on my parents for that. And basically my parents have to pay for everything now," Gompers said.
Loss of independence and caregivers
When Gompers was initially approved for care, her family brought on three caregivers who provided crucial support and independence.
"They teach me how to do laundry, cook for myself, they take me out shopping. We do a bunch of activities like go to shopping, the movies, stuff like that, and it just gives me someone else other than my parents to hang out with," she said.
Now without those caregivers throughout the summer, Gompers expressed her fears about the situation.
"I was terrified because I don't know what I'm going to do without a caregiver, and I don't want to have to rely on my parents my entire life," she said.
Financial burden on family
The family is now paying out of pocket for essential medical needs while trying to resolve the coverage issue.
"I think the medicine that I take costs about $350 and now my parents have to pay for that, and my appointment costs a lot of money as well," Gompers said.
Her family has reached out to the Governor's office and a support broker to try to get the situation resolved.
"Please fix this because I'm not the only one that has to deal with this. There's a lot of other people that apparently have also gotten taken off their support and their insurance, and yeah, just please try to get it back," Gompers said.
State response
The Governor's office provided a statement to WMAR 2 News saying: "Marylanders with developmental disabilities and their families and caregivers deserve access to high quality care and supports. The Maryland Department of Health is committed to ensuring that systems and processes for programs are accessible and support the needs of all Marylanders."
For now, Gompers plans to continue writing letters until her coverage is restored.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
