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Valuable Voices,
     Powerful Stories

Valuable Voices,
     Powerful Stories

People’s Experience

At Families USA, we share a conviction that the people — a patient, consumer, or advocate — should be at the forefront of our mission to achieve improved health and health care for all.

Our goal is to bring storytellers like you into the conversation, so policymakers better understand who we are advocating for, and why these changes are so important.

You are the voice, the face, and the push behind the policy, and your story matters.

Health Care Coverage

People in every state deserve access to affordable, equitable, and comprehensive health coverage that meets their needs. But, too many people in America are falling through the cracks in our system, leaving them paying too much for too little care, or not able to afford any insurance at all. Choose a story below to learn more about coverage experiences.
Melinda Magdalene Wings: Protecting Her Parents Final Chapter

Melinda Magdalene Wings is a retired hospice nurse who knows the value of compassionate care. Today, she’s advocating not for her patients, but for her own parents, Ivan and Kay both 86 years old, who live in a care facility in Newton, Iowa, the town where they were born and raised. “They’ve been in love since they were 17,” Melinda shares. “They’re still together today, in the same facility. But without Medicaid and Medicare, they wouldn’t be.” 

Read Melinda’s story
Neva Allen: Calling on Lawmakers to See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us

Neva Allen a resident of Belfast, Maine, has lived with a neurological condition that weakens her legs for the last 27 years. Now 65, Neva’s condition causes extreme fatigue and pain and forces her to use a power chair. Neva relies on MaineCare, Social Security Disability, and housing assistance. The thought of losing Medicaid and ACA coverage deeply unsettles her.

Read Neva’s story
Adam Koresh: Fighting for Students to Keep Their Coverage

Adam Koresh is studying to be a teacher at the University of Northern Iowa. Under the new work requirements proposed by Republicans in Congress, Adam could lose his Medicaid coverage. Despite contacting both his senator, Mike Klimesh, and his representative, Jason Gearhart, both dismissed his concerns. Adam is worried that the new work requirements will not only rip away his Medicaid coverage, but do the same to thousands of other students across the U.S.

Read Adam’s story
More Health Care Coverage Stories

Health Equity

Everyone in America should have the opportunity to live their healthiest life no matter who we are, where we are from, or where we live. Our current health care system does not make improved health for all its primary focus, particularly for Black and brown communities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and other historically oppressed groups. Choose a story below to learn more about health equity experiences.
Tomeka James: A Mother’s Story of Loss, Survival, and Advocacy for Maternal Care

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 story
Kea Dupree: Honoring the Whole Person: Kea’s Birth Experience

Kea 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 story
Tamara Hamilton: Challenges of COVID-19 Testing Criteria

Tamara'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.

Read Tamara’s story

Health Care Value

As a nation, we spend over $4 trillion each year on health care, but our health and health care are not improving. More than half of Americans are worried about affording health care and a third are forced to choose between paying the rent check or the grocery bill, and their medical bills. We deserve better, higher-quality health care. Choose a story below to learn more health care value experiences.
Stefanie Ebnal: A Nurse's Fight for a Healthier Health Care System

Stefanie Ebnal, one of the thousands of nurses and health care workers on the front lines of the Providence hospital nurses strike in Portland, OR did not start her career as a nurse. Instead, she began in pharmaceutical research, following a scientific path—but never truly feeling connected to the work.

Read Stefanie’s story
Dr. Jennifer Lincoln: A Voice for Patients and Providers in a Changing System

Dr. Lincoln has built her career on empathy, trust, and teamwork. Now, she's using those same values to challenge a system increasingly shaped by private equity and corporate interests.

Read Jennifer’s story
Bob Parant: A Lifetime of Advocacy and Resilience

Bob Parant has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 52 years. Diagnosed at 19 during what he calls the "dark ages" of diabetes care, Bob's journey has been one of perseverance, adaptation, and advocacy. At the time, diabetes management was rudimentary—urine testing provided little insight into actual blood sugar levels, and treatment relied on a strict diet and a single daily insulin injection.

Read Bob’s story