Kelly Gunn, a 46-year-old Virginia resident with employer-sponsored insurance, thought having health coverage would protect her from the financial devastation that goes along with cancer. Instead, after being diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in July 2024, she found herself facing unexpected bills, upfront charges before surgery, and medical debt that followed her through recovery. […]
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Jen Jobe, Texas
When Jen Jobe was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 38, her focus was survival. She did not expect that years after treatment ended, she would still be fighting the financial consequences of staying alive. Through her job as a teacher in Houston, Texas, Jen has employer-sponsored health insurance. Before her diagnosis, she chose a high-deductible […]
Carmilla Collins, Nebraska
Carmilla Collins is a 51-year-old single mother living in Douglas County, Omaha, Nebraska. She works full time and holds a part-time job to make ends meet, raising her 15-year-old daughter while supporting herself on paychecks that leave little margin for error — and even less for unexpected medical bills. For the better part of a […]
Bill McAdams, Florida
Bill McAdams spent 13 years as an emergency room nurse. He held the hands of dying patients. He stabilized trauma cases before they ever reached a specialist. He built a career out of caring for people at their most vulnerable. He never imagined that when his own crisis came, navigating the health care system would […]
Susan Reabuck, Pennsylvania
High health care costs can force families into impossible decisions. For Susan Reabuck, a 48-year-old mother of two living in Allentown, Pennsylvania, those decisions nearly cost her life. For years, Susan was covered through her husband’s employer-sponsored health insurance. But over time, the cost of keeping her on the plan became too much for the […]
Lori Lay, North Carolina
Lori Lay and her husband have lived in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where they have spent 30 years in this community raising three children and running two small businesses. Lori owns a childcare center, and her husband runs a landscaping company. Like millions of self-employed families, they rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace for […]
Brick Williams, Utah
Brick Williams grew up in Cedar Hills, Utah where he has built a career as a full-time guitar teacher for the past 24 years. Currently, he teaches “anywhere between 55 and 60 students a week,” adding, “It’s a lot of driving and a lot of lessons. It’s a full-time job.” When Brick was 19 years […]
Cassenda Nelson, Georgia
Cassenda Nelson lives in Camilla, a rural community in southwest Georgia, where health care is limited and resources are hard to come by. She’s a mother of four, a community health worker, and the full-time caregiver to her daughter Amunet, who lives with type 2 diabetes and experiences seizures. Managing her daughter’s complex conditions requires […]