As lawmakers return to Washington next week, health care remains at the top of their agenda.

One of the key sticking points among Republicans is what to do about Medicaid, especially in red states like Arkansas, many of which are choosing to expand the program. But they will have a hard time paying for expansions without continued federal support. Medicaid is designed to help low-income people get health care.

Whatever gets decided is sure to affect patients, health-care workers and the overall economy.

For people like George Coleman, who drives a cab for a living in Little Rock, Arkansas, it could be a life-or-death decision. He struggled to pay for health care as his asthma worsened and the cost of his medication reached nearly $700 a month.

The state's expanded Medicaid program allows Coleman to purchase health insurance, making his out-of-pocket costs affordable.

"It would have been impossible for me to survive without government assistance with health care," Coleman said.