'I just wanted to give up': Disabled patients face Medicaid denials from IT errors

Exclusive Health 'I just wanted to give up': Disabled patients face Medicaid denials from IT errors July 20, 20265:00 AM ET From By  Rachana Pradhan ,  Samantha Liss ,  Kate Wells Marie Noon at her home in Brighton, Michigan, with her dog, Ziggy. Despite being eligible for Medicaid, Marie was denied coverage in 2025 because of an error with the state's benefits system. It took months of pushback before the state reversed its mistake. Even as a "tech-savvy" former bank manager, Marie says, she wanted to give up several times along the way. Kate Wells for KFF Health News hide caption toggle caption Kate Wells for KFF Health News Marie Noon takes eight medications a day. One keeps her heart rate from spiking to avoid a stroke. One prevents debilitating headaches. Another ensures she doesn't retain excess fluid. More than a decade ago, Noon said, she was diagnosed with adult-onset Still's disease, a rare type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause rashes, debilitating pain, and fevers. The disease upended her life. She had been living a typical suburban life in Michigan, shuttling her two kids to activities like cheerleading, choir practice, and track. She was active in the PTA. She managed a bank. She went from that to crawling to the bathroom because she was in so much pain, "just crying all day long" from being so sick. Sponsor Message Health People with cancer or HIV could lose Medicaid under new work rules, advocates say Noon, who is 48 and disabled, said she couldn't work for eight years — a time marked by hospital stays that stretched for weeks. "I honestly thought I was going to die," Noon said. So it was a shock when Michigan denied her application for Medicaid benefits last year after she lost private insurance. Worse yet, it came down to an IT error, according to an attorney who helped Noon overturn the denial. "I can't afford my medical care. I have to have insurance," said Noon, who has returned to working. Stay up to date with our Politics...