Make too much for Medicaid, but not enough to afford insurance?

Hi all, I’m posting to help my friend who is currently facing this issue.

My friend experienced a big medical crisis a few years ago and they linked the issue to their brain. A very rare brain issue.

My friend hasn’t been able to work in a while because of this and now that they have the right medications and it’s under control, they picked up a bartending gig.

They went to a doctors appointment the other day and were told they were taken off Medicaid, so they either had to pay out of pocket or reschedule. What they were going in for was very expensive so they rescheduled and went to the welfare office to find out what happened.

Apparently, now that they are working, the combined income of them and their spouse has made them ineligible for Medicaid – the two of them work at the same bar, tips are unreported, so on paper they both only make $12/hr. This was enough to disqualify them.

My friend is very devastated and also seriously panicking, as the medical issue they are facing CANNOT go untreated or can be life threatening. They went back to work because they were struggling financially, and now the consequence is losing health care that they also cannot afford.

This couple is now considering a divorce, just so my friend can get this very necessary treatment. It’s disgusting that the system is so broken that they even have to consider that to keep my friend alive.

Are there other options besides that? If so, what are they? We are located in Nevada.

I left out the couples respective ages/genders and the details about the brain issue so this can’t be traced back to them. They don’t know I’m posting. I’m trying to see if I can help.

Thank you

submitted by /u/vegas__baby
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