Pro Bono Lawyer Lives in Poverty to Stay on Medicaid
Max Lewis, a practicing Missouri lawyer, is paralyzed from the neck-down. He can’t afford to pay his staggering medical and daily care expenses, so he works pro bono to squeak under the $695/month Medicaid qualification income limit.
Lewis is paralyzed from the neck down, with limited use of his arms. To prepare food, bathe, or get in or out of bed, he needs help from personal care assistants. Six hours of daily assistance costs Lewis nearly $17,000 per year. Health insurance companies don’t cover that expense or the cost of much of the medical treatment related to Lewis’ disability. Medicaid does. So Lewis finds himself in a paradox: Financially, his best bet is to live in poverty.
Whether you think he’s abusing the system or the other way around, it’s a compelling story.
Legally Bound – Columbia Missourian
