Mariah Plante works full time in Wyoming County, West Virginia, while serving as the primary caregiver for her brother Matt, who is legally blind and has nonverbal autism. Medicaid keeps Matt living at home with family rather than in a facility — but as threats to that coverage mount and the cost of her own ACA plan climbs, Mariah is navigating an impossible balancing act that millions of working caregivers across the country know all too well.
Read Mariah’s storyAfter years without proper monitoring of a known liver condition, Liliana Zelaya was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer in March 2025 — and then spent seven months waiting for treatment while her son Leo battled their Medicare Advantage insurer through failed authorizations, inaccurate network information and contradictory cost estimates. She died in January 2026 at 74.
Read Leo’s storyFor 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. Over that time, she shared she has “seen a lot of change in the medical field, mainly cost,” adding, “I think the cost is outrageous. I don't think it should be that expensive.” She saw how the system functioned behind the scenes. Now, as a patient, she is experiencing it for herself.
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In 2017, Tomeka James Isaac was pregnant with her first and only son, Jace. At 40 years old, she was told early on that she would be at high risk for pre-eclampsia, yet despite this ominous warning, Tomeka’s pregnancy was progressing smoothly. Until, at her 35-week appointment, complications began.
Read Tomeka’s storyKea had a plan. Pregnant with her first child, she knew she wanted a natural birth, and she wanted her birth experience to be an experience that was unique to her. However, she felt dismissed by doctors when she made requests, and ignored at appointments. Kea switched to a birth center, and everything changed for the better.
Read Kea’s storyTamara's 18 month old grandson fell ill with a slight cough and signs mirroring COVID-19, but was not tested by his pediatrician. After his oxygen levels dropped, he was taken to the ER but was still not tested for COVID-19 due to not meeting testing criteria.
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Bill McAdams built a 13-year career as an emergency room nurse, caring for people at their most vulnerable. In September 2025, he had an ischemic stroke while on assignment in Indiana — and woke up with a $93,000 hospital bill. Uninsured, he navigated the charity care system with the same determination he brought to his patients — only to be denied, misled, and pushed to a breaking point that ended in a second stroke.
Read Bill’s storyA Pennsylvania mother dropped her own health insurance to keep her husband and children covered — a decision that nearly cost her life when an untreated infection progressed to sepsis.
Read Susan’s storyBritney Lynn found a medication that worked to manage her diabetes — until her insurance stopped paying for it. Trying to manage her condition without access to the drugs she needs caused her to lose her job and can cost hundreds of dollars a month out-of-pocket, leading Britney to forgo care or use less effective medications with worse side-effects.
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