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Lauren Agoratus, a New Jersey family advocate and mother of a medically complex child, had breast cancer surgery in July 2022, but prior authorization delays held up her radiation for months. Armed with research showing how insurer delays harm cancer patients, she called her insurance company herself and gained approval immediately.
After her youngest son was born prematurely with severe medical conditions, Lilly Sandoval became a full-time caregiver while working to get herself and her older son covered under Nebraska’s new Medicaid rules. With thousands in medical debt and co-pays she can’t always afford, she often goes without care entirely and wants lawmakers to understand what families like hers face.
Despite a bachelor’s degree and a full-time job, Erin Wolfanger avoids the doctor because her high-deductible plan makes even routine lab work unaffordable. Her son, who has asthma, relies on Maine’s subsidized children’s coverage, and she fears any policy change could leave her choosing between his insurance and her paycheck.
When her seven-year-old daughter began facing emotional and behavioral challenges, Qutisha Britt turned to Medicaid, only to be steered toward mismatched services and shuffled between systems. Along the way she has also run into unreliable transportation, unaffordable copays, and a $750 bill for care Medicaid should have covered.
Emmy Duddles, a 30-year-old freelance editor in Ohio, has had a migraine every day since 2016 and spent years facing denied treatments, surprise bills, and unaffordable follow-up visits. Since enrolling in Medicaid, she has been able to see her doctor regularly, uncover new health issues, and get the treatments she needs without worrying about the cost.
After more than 20 years helping Georgians access benefits, social worker Tanisha Corporal spent eight months fighting denials and lost documents just to enroll in Pathways to Coverage, Georgia's Medicaid program. Even now that she's approved, she spends hours each month verifying her volunteer work and lives with the constant fear that her coverage will be cut off again.
After her younger brother died of a sudden heart attack at 39, Lacey Donle followed her doctors' advice and got a full cardiac workup, only to face insurance denials, hidden charges, and a $3,000 bill on her high-deductible plan. When enhanced tax credits expired and her premiums nearly doubled, the Maine preschool teacher planned to go uninsured in 2026.
Theresa manages a rare, life-threatening genetic disease that killed her father, but losing her job-based insurance turned her care into a monthly guessing game of statements, reimbursements, and gaps in charitable funding. She's now unsure how to cover her daughter's health needs and fears what happens once assistance funds run dry for good.
After an abrupt medication change sent her autistic son into a psychiatric crisis, Stacy Drake spent months cycling through hospitals that would stabilize Bentley but not keep him, until surrendering custody became the only path to residential care. Getting him home brought a new fight to restore the Medicaid waiver that covers the home care and therapy her husband's insurance won't, and that waiver is now up for renewal.
James Bowers did everything he was supposed to do to keep his family insured, but a chain of insurer and marketplace failures left him and his wife without coverage after the enrollment window closed. For a couple managing depression, bipolar disorder, and other chronic conditions, going uninsured has meant putting their health, their livelihoods, and their lives at risk.