25-year-old quadriplegic woman gets Medicaid back - Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

With extensive therapy, doctors say Linda Puglisi could someday walk again.

"This has been a struggle for me," Puglisi said. "It's one thing after another."

In September, when we first met the 25-year-old partially-paralyzed woman, she was losing her Medicaid.  The state said Puglisi earned about $700 a month in disability.  She made too much money to qualify for Medicaid.

"The simple reason: she makes $30 a month too much to qualify for Medicaid in the state of Texas," Legacy Community Health Services' Randall Ellis said.

Puglisi was about to lose even more than just her health care.  Medicaid threatened to take away her wheelchair, her bed and everything else they paid for.  In September, she said she had no idea what she was going to do.

Today, the fear and worry has disappeared from her face.

"I really feel like God sent you to help me.  I really honestly feel like that," she said.  "You don't even know how much I appreciate your help.  I really do."

After hearing of her plight, Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman got to work.  Coleman showed up at Puglisi's Bellaire-area apartment to give her the good news.

"We worked out getting you your Medicaid," Coleman said.

Coleman said Medicaid should have never canceled Puglisi's coverage.

"She should have never been in this situation, regardless of the amount of her disability because the state's job is to make sure you're in the right place," he said.  "If she was in the wrong place, someone should have said, oh no, you need to be here."

He fears others could be falling through the cracks like Puglisi.  He's now working with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to fix that.

While Texas said no to billions in federal tax dollars for Medicaid expansion, Coleman and others believe Puglisi's case illustrates how much expansion is needed.

"I think Linda is the face of this issue," he said.  "These are the folks that are falling through the cracks.  There are people in dire need who would benefit from Medicaid expansion."

It could take up to 45 days before Puglisi's Medicaid is reinstated.

Coleman said he'll be talking to Memorial Herman's TIRR program to see if Puglisi can resume her physical therapy there as soon as possible.

"I'm going to be out of this chair soon, walking," Puglisi said.  "I want to be an inspiration to other people, help other people and give them hope when they feel like it's hopeless."