Deborah Blankenship Galloway lives in rural Troup County, Georgia and lives with major mobility issues along with respiratory failure, heart failure, CKD stage 3, diabetes, gout, asthma, allergies, osteoarthritis and pinched nerves. Currently, Deborah is covered by a Medicare replacement plan, also known as a Medicare Advantage plan, and recently lost her Medicaid coverage. While she is happy to be covered at all, she is feeling the strain on her wallet from not having Medicaid as well.
Read Deborah’s storyBarry Spickler retired after 15 years as a government contractor and now relies on the Affordable Care Act for coverage he calls lifesaving. With premium tax credits easing the cost, he and his partner Eileen say the ACA gives them stability, dignity and peace of mind.
Read Eileen’s storyWanda Bankston lives in DeKalb County, Georgia. After a career as a heavy equipment operator for Fulton County Government where she had employer sponsored insurance, Wanda now utilizes Medicaid for her coverage. After an on-the-job accident close to her retirement, she had to have back surgery to replace two discs. As of 2025, she still needs two more replaced. “The accident left me without anything," Wanda said, citing corruption within the justice system following the incident, “So I’m very thankful for the Medicaid."
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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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Adrienne, a Pennsylvania resident and mother of two, never expected a simple diagnostic procedure to lead to over a year of financial and emotional distress. In February 2024, she underwent a thyroid biopsy at a hospital she knew well, the hospital where she gave birth to both of her children and one she visits frequently for appointments. Everything about the process felt routine—until the bill arrived.
Read Adrienne’s storyJim and Teresa Matthews never imagined that a hospital visit could unravel into a financial bureaucratic nightmare. When Teresa was hospitalized after a sudden episode of transient global amnesia—a rare, temporary loss of memory—they discovered a hidden flaw that left them with a $4,500 bill for a single day’s worth of medication and no clear path to challenge it.
Read Jim’s storyMorgan Barrett, a resident of Kansas, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at only seven years old. She and her two siblings have the same form of the disease, and growing up, they faced many serious health challenges.
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