KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
—
Families in Johnson County, Kansas, are advocating for Medicaid on behalf of families and children with disabilities.
House Republicans recently passed a spending bill that would cut Medicaid. The bill is now in the hands of the Senate.
"We would not function as a family without it (Medicaid)," said Melissa Sabin, a Shawnee resident and ambassador with advocacy group Little Lobbyists.
Sabin's son, Logan, was born with 5p- syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. His daily care, therapies and at-home nurse are all possible with the help of Medicaid.
Sabin said Logan was born three months early. His NICU stay at the time cost $1.2 million, but luckily, Medicaid helped Sabin cover it.
"It let me really focus on what mattered the most," Sabin said.
This experience led her to work with Little Lobbyists, a national organization focused on families and children with disabilities. Their efforts include accessibility, inclusion and education.
KSHB 41's Let's Talk series in Shawnee led us to Little Lobbyists.
You can also find Laura Robeson and her son, Danny, busy advocating with the organization.
"Danny is a really proud disabled kid, and those parts of him are integral to his identity," said Robeson, a Prairie Village resident.
Danny has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and vision loss.
Both mothers want their families to be the face of Medicaid, not politicians in Washington, D.C.
"If not me, who? If not now, when?" Robeson said.
At the end of the day, Sabin said she will continue to fight for what's best for her son.
"I've kind of had to fight for what I thought was the best for Logan," Sabin said.
—
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.