Jay Williams and his wife never expected to become full-time caregivers again, but everything changed when a call from the Department of Human Services turned their world upside down. The first time they heard about their grandson Hayden was under devastating circumstances. At just six months old, Hayden had been severely burned; Third-degree burns covered […]
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Grace Wensley, California
Grace is a first-year medical student in California who currently uses Medicaid to access affordable health care and manage the financial challenges of medical school, where the cost of tuition and living expenses is already high. At 26, she no longer qualifies for coverage under her family’s health insurance, but since enrolling in Medicaid, Grace […]
Stephanie Agoratus, New Jersey
Stephanie is a college student with a sharp wit, a love for learning, and a medical chart that reads like a novel. She is also a Medicaid beneficiary—and for her family, that coverage has been nothing short of lifesaving. “Stephanie has five life-threatening conditions—and autism, just to keep it interesting,” says her mother, Lauren. “She’s […]
Heather Lyon, Illinois
Heather Lyon lives in Morris, Illinois, a small community nestled in the heart of the Midwest. At only 39 her story is one of pain, resilience and advocacy. “I was born with a heart disease,” Heather shares, “and my health since birth has been a complication.” Her life has been defined by medical emergencies — […]
Austin Headrick, Virginia
Austin and his wife returned to the US in 2023 after spending nearly eight years living abroad in South Korea. One of their first concerns: what are we going to do about health care? “Over the years, I went to the doctor several times for colds, for flus, for different specialist inspections, and never paid […]
Taylor Moss, California
Taylor Moss, a medical student at Touro University, is passionate about her career as a future provider. She is also a Medicaid beneficiary who is extremely worried about losing access to her coverage. Not only is she worried about her own health care, but she is also concerned for her future patients. “Medicaid has so […]
Kristy Layne, Kentucky
Kristy Layne of Bellevue, Kentucky, has been on Medicaid since she was pregnant with her daughter, Cora, and for the last 12 years it has kept them covered. Until recently when, in a sincere effort to better herself and give her daughter the best life possible, Kristy sought out a better job with a bigger […]
Lakeisha Preston, Mississippi
As a brand-new parent Lakeisha wanted to build something stable for her and her son, but she experienced a huge setback in 2019 when she was hospitalized with walking pneumonia. At the time her son Aiden was only three years old and was living at home with his grandparents in New Hebron while Lakeisha had […]
Katie Ramos, Wisconsin
Katie was born with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a condition that affects almost every system in the body and is extremely complex to treat. Katie says that her joints are so prone to dislocation that she often doesn’t know that something has happened until much later. “I’ve dislocated shoulders turning over in my sleep, fingers squeezing a […]
Rachel Hynes, Washington DC
Rachel was diagnosed with a superficial melanoma at 29 and as a result, no insurer would issue her a policy. Her only option for coverage was PCIP. Once the DC Health Exchange opened, she quickly signed up for Medicaid. While the coverage hasn’t always been perfect, she says she’s been grateful to have coverage. Right […]