Sepsis nearly killed Elizabeth Feldman and left her with hospital bills she couldn’t pay. Medicaid erased the debt and opened the door to preventive care. Elizabeth believes the country is reaching a critical moment. "We're at a tipping point in this country and in this state when it comes to health care." For her and many others, Medicaid is not a political issue. It is a lifeline.
Read Elizabeth’s storySarah lives in rural Oregon, where her family relies on Medicaid to survive. Her 19-year-old son is autistic, has ADHD, and lives with working memory impairment and slow processing. Basic tasks, like remembering to take medicine or drink water, require constant, hands-on support.
Read Sarah,’s storyFor Jesseca Lockie, a mother in Nevada, protecting her son’s life means navigating a complex and costly health care system. When her child was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder at eight months old, she quickly discovered that even with private insurance, essential treatments were financially out of reach. That’s when the Katie Beckett program became her family’s lifeline.
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In 2017, Tomeka James Isaac was pregnant with her first and only son, Jace. At 40 years old, she was told early on that she would be at high risk for pre-eclampsia, yet despite this ominous warning, Tomeka’s pregnancy was progressing smoothly. Until, at her 35-week appointment, complications began.
Read Tomeka’s storyKea had a plan. Pregnant with her first child, she knew she wanted a natural birth, and she wanted her birth experience to be an experience that was unique to her. However, she felt dismissed by doctors when she made requests, and ignored at appointments. Kea switched to a birth center, and everything changed for the better.
Read Kea’s storyTamara's 18 month old grandson fell ill with a slight cough and signs mirroring COVID-19, but was not tested by his pediatrician. After his oxygen levels dropped, he was taken to the ER but was still not tested for COVID-19 due to not meeting testing criteria.
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Adrienne, a Pennsylvania resident and mother of two, never expected a simple diagnostic procedure to lead to over a year of financial and emotional distress. In February 2024, she underwent a thyroid biopsy at a hospital she knew well, the hospital where she gave birth to both of her children and one she visits frequently for appointments. Everything about the process felt routine—until the bill arrived.
Read Adrienne’s storyJim and Teresa Matthews never imagined that a hospital visit could unravel into a financial bureaucratic nightmare. When Teresa was hospitalized after a sudden episode of transient global amnesia—a rare, temporary loss of memory—they discovered a hidden flaw that left them with a $4,500 bill for a single day’s worth of medication and no clear path to challenge it.
Read Jim’s storyMorgan Barrett, a resident of Kansas, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at only seven years old. She and her two siblings have the same form of the disease, and growing up, they faced many serious health challenges.
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