Stories | Families USA Skip to Main Content

Valuable Voices,
     Powerful Stories

Valuable Voices,
     Powerful Stories

People’s Experience

At Families USA, we share a conviction that the people — a patient, consumer, or advocate — should be at the forefront of our mission to achieve improved health and health care for all.

Our goal is to bring storytellers like you into the conversation, so policymakers better understand who we are advocating for, and why these changes are so important.

You are the voice, the face, and the push behind the policy, and your story matters.

Health Care Coverage

People in every state deserve access to affordable, equitable, and comprehensive health coverage that meets their needs. But, too many people in America are falling through the cracks in our system, leaving them paying too much for too little care, or not able to afford any insurance at all. Choose a story below to learn more about coverage experiences.
Lacey's Fight for Access to Care

Lacey Lyons, born two and a half months prematurely in Whites Creek, Tennessee, has been navigating the complexities of the health care system her entire life. The challenges began with her diagnoses of mild cerebral palsy and epilepsy resulting from her early birth. Thankfully, she’s always had access to world-class care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), but adulthood brought new battles—ones that tested her resilience and her belief in a just system.

Read Lacey’s story
A Dentist's Carelessness Leads to Months of Medical Procedures

In 2022, Ron Dinsdale went to his dentist for teeth implants when the dentist dropped a small wrench and screw down his throat. Ron began choking and while he was able to retrieve the small screw, he unfortunately swallowed the wrench. The dentist, in response, was seemingly more irritated at Ron for swallowing his tool rather than concerned about his health.

Read Ron’s story
Donna’s Dental Dilemma: A Fight for Coverage and Answers

When teacher Donna Calhoun bit into an apple and lost a tooth, she did not expect the dental emergency and bureaucratic nightmare that followed. With a Cigna dental PPO plan from her former employer, which she had been paying into for a decade, she expected coverage, but finding an available appointment in-network proved difficult as her condition worsened, leading to a fever and infection.

Read Donna’s story

Health Equity

Everyone in America should have the opportunity to live their healthiest life no matter who we are, where we are from, or where we live. Our current health care system does not make improved health for all its primary focus, particularly for Black and brown communities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and other historically oppressed groups. Choose a story below to learn more about health equity experiences.
A Mother’s Story of Loss, Survival, and Advocacy for Maternal Care

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 story
Honoring the Whole Person: Kea’s Birth Experience

Kea 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 story
Challenges of COVID-19 Testing Criteria

Tamara'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.

Read Tamara’s story

Health Care Value

As a nation, we spend over $4 trillion each year on health care, but our health and health care are not improving. More than half of Americans are worried about affording health care and a third are forced to choose between paying the rent check or the grocery bill, and their medical bills. We deserve better, higher-quality health care. Choose a story below to learn more health care value experiences.
When Hospitals Profit and Patients Pay

When Ben Los’s 5-year-old son started experiencing seizures, they fought to get him the best care they could within their insurance network. Fast forward to two months after their hospital visit, their family received a bill for $2,518, a large portion of which was labeled as a facility fee.

Read Ben’s story
How Hospital Negligence Led to a Family's Tragic Loss

During Sally Jo's mother Dorothy's treatment, the fragmented health care system in Pittsburgh, PA, created numerous challenges. From dangerous communication breakdowns over medications, to the hospital prioritizing financial loss over human life, Dorothy was failed by the health system time and time again, ultimately resulting in the tragic loss of her life.

Read Sally’s story
A Shock at the Pharmacy Counter

After finding out that she was diabetic in 2017, Robin had to learn very quickly how to treat her condition with insulin as she fought for her life in the hospital. But when she went to get her insulin from the pharmacy after switching to Medicare coverage, Robin was in for a massive shock at the pharmacy counter.

Read Robin’s story