Health Care Affects Us All

Read about the successes and shortcomings of our health care system

Hear from Your Neighbors

Cut away the politics, and health care is about real people's lives.

We’ve been speaking with members of the community for years, collecting their stories to put faces and names to the devastating health policy issues facing our state, as well as the success stories following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.

Rally attendees gather and speak out in support of expanded Medicare and Medicaid in the state of Missouri and in opposition to spending cuts for those same programs.

Featured Stories

J. Kelly, a mother of two in Joplin, poses for a photo.

J. Kelly (Joplin, 2021)

J, a 41-year-old mother of two in Joplin, has been uninsured for almost seven years and will qualify for Medicaid once...
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Elizabeth Lewis poses for a photo in her graduation gown with her partner and two children.

Elizabeth Lewis (Kansas City, 2021)

Over the last decade, Elizabeth Lewis has built a career as a nurse practitioner, focusing on women’s health...
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Maxine and Ken Horgan perform dental work at a clinic in Missouri.

Maxine and Ken Horgan (Mountain View, 2021)

Maxine and Ken Horgan are retired volunteers at the Good Samaritan Care Clinic in Mountain View...
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Autumn Stultz speaks at an event.

Autumn Stultz (Springfield, 2021)

Autumn is a 31-year-old Springfield resident with a seven-year-old daughter who was dropped from Medicaid unexpectedly...
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C. Garcia in her combat uniform from her time serving in the military.

C. Garcia (Kansas City, 2021)

Garcia is a fourth-generation military veteran, writer, poet, and activist in Kansas City, MO. After eight years of service...
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Haji Culton of Festus smiling for a photo while looking over his left shoulder.

Haji Culton (Festus, 2021)

Haji has been living in Festus, MO without insurance for just over 10 years after losing his job and health coverage...
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Brennan England smiles for a photograph.

Brennan England (St. Louis, 2021)

Brennan is a South St. Louis resident, entrepreneur, and elected member of the community improvement district in his neighborhood...
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An illustrative graphic that shows a simplified hand holding a protest sign. On the protest sign, the name "John D." is written.

John D. (St. Louis, 2021)

John D. is a firefighter working tirelessly to serve St. Louis during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also a husband and father of two...
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Mahala Pittman smiles happily while being photographed outdoors.

Mahala Pittman (Festus, 2021)

Mahala Pittman, a 20-year-old college student from Festus, got COVID-19 while she was home for the summer...
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Scott Gulledge poses for a photo with two other people, a man and a woman, while they stand in a kitchen. They are all smiling.

Scott Gulledge (Camdenton, 2021)

Scott works in the mental health field. He knows how to support people in grief and has experienced loss himself, but losing his mother to...‍
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An illustrative graphic that shows a simplified hand holding a protest sign. On the protest sign, the name "Shan" is written.

Shan (St. Louis, 2021)

Shan is a St. Louis resident and lifelong Missourian. They have lived for many years with severe ADHD, depression, anxiety, and...
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An illustrative graphic that shows a simplified hand holding a protest sign. On the protest sign, "Deborah A" is written.

Deborah A. (2021)

I have been uninsured since the day that I turned 26 years old, so it's been nearly 4 years now. Just a few weeks after I turned 25 years old...
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An illustrative graphic that shows a simplified hand holding a protest sign. On the protest sign, "Shannon McKinney" is written.

Shannon McKinney (Joplin, 2021)

Shannon McKinney is a Joplin-based staff attorney at Legal Aid of Western Missouri, specializing in housing and consumer law...
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Sam McAninch takes a photo of herself wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) while working as a nurse in a hospital.

Sam McAninch. (Springfield, 2020)

Sam is a 30-year-old Intensive care float nurse who has worked at Cox Hospital in Springfield for the last 5 years...
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An illustrative graphic that shows a simplified hand holding a protest sign. On the protest sign, the name "Ryan K." is written.

Ryan K. (Joplin, 2020)

Ryan works as a handyman for a local property management company in Joplin. At the end of August 2020, he contracted COVID-19...
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Larry Batt takes a photo of himself seated in the passenger seat of a car. He is smiling slightly.

Larry Batt (Lebanon, 2020)

Larry is a 57-year-old former carpenter from Lebanon, MO who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2013. At the time, he...
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Nichelle Harris smiles and poses with her family while standing on the green grass of a park.

Nichelle Harris (Kansas City, 2020)

Nichelle lives with her husband and three children in the Kansas City area, where she works for a heating and cooling service provider...
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Brittney poses for a photograph with her partner and three young children.

Brittney (St. Louis, 2020)

Since 2017, Brittany has relied on Medicaid to provide health care for her three children. She found out they were dropped from coverage...
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Rai poses for a photograph with her young child. The child is making a silly face and uses their hands to make peace signs.

Rai (St. Louis, 2020)

When Rai became pregnant at age 19, she was on her mother’s insurance. Unfortunately, her mother did not have pregnancy coverage...
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An illustrative graphic that shows a simplified hand holding a protest sign. On the protest sign, "Van and Renda" is written.

Van and Renda (Sparta, 2020)

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Van is a 56-year-old resident of Sparta, Missouri. He and his wife Renda have a variety of illnesses that they try to manage despite...‍
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Debi Pratt poses for a photo inside while wearing a mask to protect herself and others from the spread of Covid-19.

Debi Pratt (St. Louis, 2020)

Debi is married, a mother, grandparent, neighbor, active volunteer, and works as an office manager in St. Louis...
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