Mary Shaw is 68 years old and has lived her entire life in Nebraska. She grew up in a rural area in a small town, spent her early years on a farm, and now resides in Norfolk, which, to her, feels like a city. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary found […]
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Tiana Andrews, Maryland
Tiana Andrews, a resident of Maryland, began experiencing serious health complications in high school, though her doctors initially found nothing wrong. “I know my own body and I know when I’m not [well],” she said. Despite worsening symptoms—persistent illness, sensitivity to light, and memory issues—test results kept coming back normal. “Still, every doctor’s appointment was, […]
Kasey McBlais, Maine
Kasey McBlais is a resident of Buckfield, Maine, a small, rural town in the western part of the state. She started her journey with MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, in January 2023 after she separated from her ex-husband and became a single mother to two young children: a two-year-old daughter and a five-year-old neurodivergent son. At […]
Sally Troche, Pennsylvania
Sally Troche, a 30-year-old resident of Greenleigh, Pennsylvania, has relied on Medicaid to access essential services that support her daily life. For Sally, Medicaid has been a critical tool in helping her manage health care costs and stay connected to care she otherwise couldn’t afford. Sally has a learning disability and some physical challenges — […]
Siiri Cressey, Maine
Siiri Cressey lives in Lewiston, Maine, where she has spent her entire life. “I’ve been a Mainer my whole life, born and raised here,” she said. Currently living with a long-term disability, Siiri receives health coverage through MaineCare, which includes both Medicaid and Medicare benefits. Siiri emphasized the importance of this coverage. “If that got […]
Garret Frey, Iowa
Garret Frey lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a city rooted in Midwestern values where community and care for one another still matter. In 1987, Garret was in a motorcycle accident leaving him with a C4-C5 spinal cord injury, quadriplegic and ventilator dependent. As a person living with a physical disability, Garret knows firsthand the difference […]
Raychel Ward, Maine
Raychel Ward lives in Livermore Falls, Maine, where she cares for her three medically complex children while her husband works full time. Her youngest child, Bryan, was born with hyperinsulinism, a condition that causes his body to produce more insulin than his available blood sugar can process. The result is dangerously low blood sugar levels […]
Ryan Jolly, Kansas
Ryan Jolly, a proud resident of the state of Kansas, describes herself as being at the center of many of the groups Medicaid serves. She is a daughter, a mother, a foster parent, a health care provider and a small business owner. “If the different constituencies that are affected by Medicaid were presented in a Venn diagram,” she […]
Amanda Gershon, Nebraska
For most of her adult life, Amanda Gershon, a lifetime resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, and a restaurant manager, was uninsured. That all changed in 2016, when a serious health crisis forced her to apply for disability at just 32 years old. Amanda lives with several complex health conditions. “I currently have a long list of […]
Patty Kidder, Maine
Patty Kidder lives in Springvale, Maine, and has spent her entire life struggling to afford health care. Her parents ran their own business and didn’t have insurance, so they only took her to the doctor when absolutely necessary. After she married, her family relied on her husband’s job for health insurance until the plant where he worked […]