Patient Voices Blog

After company layoffs, my family went from being covered by top notch health insurance coverage to seeking health care solutions as uninsured patients.  As a child listening to my mom and great-grandma talk I would often hear the phrase “we can’t afford to get sick.” As a mother of 5 I quickly learned this was not just a catchy phrase.  Unemployment payments were ending and I had to accept some form of employment.  For the first time I was looking for a job with a company that would match my former benefits – not my pay.

Advocating in state capitols can be messy and feel like mayhem – complete with confrontational opponents and sometimes some really harsh jabs you don’t even see coming. The schedule is also unpredictable. You start early and stay late. Your feet get weary pounding the halls trying to hit all the policy makers’ offices. And of course, even though your proposal may be the best policy idea ever, you don’t always get your way with every stakeholder on board accepting your proposal’s every provision. It's all about patience and persistence.

“There’s no shame in my game,” said Shirley Bridgett during our Fall 2018 Policy Consortium in response to being asked if she was uncomfortable initiating cost conversations with her provider. She continued that she’d rather have a discussion upfront about the price of her treatment in the privacy of the doctor’s office instead of being surprised at the pharmacy counter by a co-pay amount that she can’t afford.

It is crucial that you continue to advocate for patients in your neighborhood and nationwide. While we may feel secure that a massive change is not about to upheave millions’ of Americans health care, there are still multiple venues in which we must raise our voices in support of access to affordable, quality care.