Christy Moreno wants answers. The single mother of two is one of hundreds of people covered by the Affordable Care Act that will lose in-network care at Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy hospitals at the end of the year.
The change comes after Medica, the only Affordable Care Act insurance carrier covering Children’s Mercy, announced hospitals will be out of network in an eight-county area across the Kansas City region.
Moreno said she’s been very happy with the 17 years of care Children’s Mercy has provided her two daughters, 16 and 19 years old. One of the teenagers requires specialty care.
“But at the same time, I do feel that they need to respond to families like ours,” she said.
The hospital has not communicated with the families losing in-network care, according to Moreno, and an FAQ page shared by the hospital has not provided any new information.
Last year, Moreno’s insurance premium jumped from approximately $800 to nearly $2000 a month, after Congress let the ACA enhanced subsidies expire in 2025. The single mother said she forfeited her own insurance coverage and took on a third job.
The family doesn’t qualify for Medicaid or other government subsidies. Because of her daughter’s preexisting conditions, Moreno said private insurance won’t accept her.
“There are no solutions on the table,” Moreno told KCUR’s Up to Date.
Over the summer, Moreno’s younger daughter needed medical imaging, resulting in a $9,000 bill. The mother said the same imaging would have cost $400 in Mexico.
“I am not negotiating whether I choose to keep my child alive or not. Like, that is just not on the table,” Moreno said. “What does this mean? . . . Do I have to go to Canada? Do I have to go to Mexico? What are we going to do?”
For now, Moreno said she and other families are going to keep drawing public attention to the “life or death” situation.
“We're not hopeful right now,” Moreno said. “But there's one thing that I know. When parents join forces, we get to move the needle.”
- Christy Moreno, parent
