Skylar’s Story: Waiting for Care

| Little Rock, Arkansas

Not long after birth, a rare neurological condition forced Skylar Overman onto Arkansas’ Medicaid waiting list. There, she would wait for care that she desperately needs for nearly 10 years. A prime patient for Medicaid coverage, Skylar was pushed to the back of the line when Arkansas expanded Medicaid to able-bodied adults.

Since Skylar relies fully on her family for care, the struggling family needs the help Medicaid provides. From the very beginning, her mother Lindsey fought for her daughter to get the life-saving services and medication she needs. And after 3,600 days on the waiting list, Skylar was finally approved for care in 2017—only to be told that the notification was a mistake. Skylar and her family continue to be trapped on a waiting list for care she desperately needs while able-bodied adults receive care.

Watch this moving interview with Skylar and her mother as they continue their fight to help protect valuable resources for the truly needy—and fight for the care that Skylar and 3,000 other Arkansans need.