New Netflix Horror Flick “The Deliverance” Tackles Medicaid Troubles, Medical Debt

Lee Daniels' new Netflix horror film The Deliverance tells a tale of a family grappling with a demonic force. It also showcases the nightmares of the U.S. health care system.

We all love a good scare, don’t we? There’s something oddly satisfying about watching masked maniacs, haunted houses and vengeful spirits wreak havoc on the big screen — knowing full well that once the credits roll, we’re safe from the carnage. No Freddy, no Jason, no demonic possession. Just a bit of adrenaline, some spilled popcorn and maybe a few nightmares.

But what if the real horror isn’t lurking in the shadows or creeping under the bed? What if it’s hiding in plain sight, dressed in business casual, with a clipboard and a billing statement? Picture this: a daughter forced to pay for her mom’s chemo out-of-pocket because the clinic no longer accepts Medicaid or a family drowning in medical debt after an unexpected trip to the emergency room.

I recently watched the new Lee Daniels’ (Precious, The Butler) Netflix horror film The Deliverance featuring Andra Day as Ebony Jackson and Glenn Close as Alberta (Jackson’s mother). Without giving much away, the movie follows Jackson, a struggling mother of three, as she tries to save her family from being possessed by a malevolent demon.

While the main thrust of the movie isn’t health care, there are two silhouettes in the film that touch on a real, true, uniquely American horror – navigating the U.S. health care system.

“Damn Medicaid. It’s always something with them.”

A few minutes into the movie, watchers learn that Alberta is battling cancer. When Alberta is leaving her chemo treatment a nurse at the front desk asks her to come to the counter. Here’s a transcription of their interaction:

Nurse: Your last two months haven’t been paid.

Alberta: Ugh. Damn Medicaid. It’s always something with them. I’ll call Monday, sort it out.

Nurse: We stopped accepting Medicaid over a year ago.

Alberta: Well, then, who’s been making my payments?

Nurse: Well, I just assumed you knew.

Alberta: Knew what?

Nurse: That she’s [Jackson] been paying. So that you didn’t have to switch clinics. She knows you like it here.

Sheesh. The thing about this scene is that it is actually a horror story that too many Americans live in. From Indiana to Texas and Pennsylvania to Iowa, health care providers are dropping Medicaid patients because they are unable to reach contracts with Medicaid insurance providers – leaving patients scrambling to find alternative care, travel far on fixed budgets and lean on family members for support. (Most states turned their Medicaid programs over to private insurers to administer years ago thinking, foolishly, that doing so would save taxpayers’ money and improve care.)

Family caregivers often cover medical expenses out of their own pockets when their loved ones can’t access Medicaid-covered care. A report from AARP estimates that family members spend about 26% of their income on out-of-pocket health care costs, which includes situations where Medicaid is rejected or unavailable for certain providers or treatments.

A 2022 study in JAMA Oncology noted the “persistent gaps that exist” for Medicaid beneficiaries trying to find a hospital or medical facility for high-quality cancer care. Certain specialties, like oncology, are particularly challenging for Medicaid patients because many oncologists do not accept Medicaid due to the high cost of treatments like chemotherapy and inadequate reimbursements from insurers. This has a ripple effect when families are left to bear the financial burden, either by taking loans or dipping into savings to cover out-of-pocket expenses for crucial treatments.

“Fuck. Fucking bill collectors.”

Following a violent poltergeist-esque scene involving Jackson and her three children, the next day, the children need to be taken to the hospital for various psychiatric and physical evaluations.

Later that evening, Jackson receives a phone call from the hospital. 

Recording: This is a call from Saint Anthony’s Children’s Hospital informing you that your balance of $30,593 and 48 cents…

Jackson: Fuck. Fucking bill collectors.

Medical debt is one of the most pervasive financial burdens in the United States, affecting millions of families across the country. A 2024 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that people in the United States owe at least $220 billion in medical debt, making it one of the leading causes of financial strain. These debts arise from unexpected hospital stays, chronic conditions and even routine care, with high deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses leaving families scrambling to make payments.

The burden is especially severe for those who are uninsured, underinsured, on Medicaid and in privately operated Medicare Advantage plans – pushing many into a cycle of borrowing, delayed care or even bankruptcy.

Not Quite a Happy Ending

With scary movies, we're used to seeing families tormented by unseen forces but in The Deliverance, the scariest demons aren’t just lurking in the basement. They’re also in the billing department.

While Jackson’s fight with an otherworldly demon concludes (spoiler alert) with a dramatic exorcism (or deliverance) that saves her family, when the dust settles she’s still going to have to deal with Alberta’s chemo bills and that $30,593.48 balance. There’s no exorcism for that.