Britney Lynn, a 33-year-old living in Alachua, FL, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2020. Soon after, she faced a challenge many people with chronic conditions know all too well: affording the medications that worked best for her. The financial strain took a serious toll on her health, and eventually her livelihood. When Britney first received […]
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Barbara Ingram-Rice, Florida
When Barbara Ingram-Rice turned 65 in January 2026, she joked, “My favorite birthday card was my Medicare card.” For years before that milestone, Barbara carefully managed her household’s health care coverage. Living in Sarasota, Florida, she worked as an occupational therapist while helping her husband navigate Medicare drug plans and managing her own insurance through the marketplace. As his […]
Kaylean DiFiori, Minnesota
When 32-year-old Minnesota resident Kaylean DiFiori was diagnosed with diabetes in 2025, her doctor immediately created a treatment plan to help control her blood sugar. But managing the condition quickly became more than a medical challenge. It became a financial and administrative battle with her insurance company. Like many people newly diagnosed with a chronic condition, Kaylean hoped […]
Michelle Fry, Illinois
For more than 30 years, Michelle Fry worked in the health care system in Illinois. She built her career in primary care, dialysis and orthopedics, spending 24 years in orthopedics alone. She started in clerical roles and answering phones, then moved into scheduling surgeries and anesthesia visits, registering patients, admitting them, and discharging them. She also […]
Athena Joost, Oregon
Athena Joost, a 28-year-old nurse living in Oregon, knows firsthand how prescription drug prices can impact treatment options. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic condition that can cause debilitating flare-ups. After initial treatments failed, her doctor recommended a biologic medication. Together, they decided on Stelara (Ustekinumab). “I kind of picked […]
May, Indiana
Last December, May’s life changed in an instant when she was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, a dangerous blood clot in her lungs. Doctors immediately prescribed blood thinners to prevent another one from forming. The diagnosis was frightening, but what shocked her most was the price of the medication she needed to survive. “I was on […]
Jennifer Blumenthal, New Jersey
For years, 55-year-old Jennifer Blumenthal of New Jersey, has lived with Type 1.5 diabetes. Managing her condition depends on two prescriptions, Novolog and Jardiance. Without them, her health and life are at risk. Finding the right treatment hasn’t been easy. After years of taking an antibiotic that damaged her liver, Jennifer’s diabetes spiraled out of control, leading to a […]
Angel Melendez, Texas
Living with asthma can be a lifelong challenge, especially when finding a treatment that works means navigating barriers like step therapy, an insurance practice that requires patients to try and fail on lower-cost medications before gaining access to newer, often more effective treatments. For Angel, a 30-year-old living in Texas who has battled severe asthma […]
Leslie Rogers, Oregon
Gloria Rogers was born in September 2013 at full term, weighing 7 lbs. 13 oz. She struggled right out of the gate with breathing and feeding and spent most of her first hours on the incubator machine. In the first months of her life, doctors discovered numerous challenges, from a galloping heart rhythm to pulmonic […]
Kelly Fryman, Florida
Kelly Fryman, a 63-year-old woman living with diabetes in Florida, has spent years working to keep her condition under control. She is proud of the progress she has made. “I went from 9.0 to 5.6 on my A1c,” she explained. At first, Kelly managed her condition with medications such as Trulicity and Mounjaro. Eventually, she […]