Personal Stories

Unemployed and without affordable healthcare

August 6, 2020

“My husband lost his job last week, we can’t afford the deductible & premiums for COBRA, so will be paying out-of-pocket for our life-saving medical prescriptions while also trying to make mortgage payments, keep our . . . read more »

The ACA from a Navigator’s perspective

January 28, 2020

“I became a volunteer ACA Navigator in 2014 and have worked with hundreds of people in the Blue Hill Peninsula over the past six years. It has been a privilege to do this and a . . . read more »

Maine playwright facing traumatic brain injury, and out-of-control medical bills

December 23, 2019

In April 2018, Callie Kimball suffered a devastating head injury in a freak accident. Fortunately, she is recovering. Unfortunately, she has had to create a GoFundMe page due in large part to medical bills. She . . . read more »

“My husband lost his job, and we lost our health insurance”

May 21, 2019

I never thought about health insurance until 2008. I got married in 1980 and both my husband and I worked. We always chose to have me go on his insurance. The cost came out of . . . read more »

My child’s depression swallowed her whole. I took the steps to get her help. Then the bills came.

October 16, 2017

Even when someone with good insurance is a skilled navigator of our complex and dysfunctional healthcare system, she can be overwhelmed by the stresses and costs that accrue when finding and receiving care for serious . . . read more »

Maine has 1,329,608 reasons for universal healthcare

September 6, 2017

Reason #1 “When I talk about healthcare I often tell people that I am retired from the U.S. Navy with 28 years of service. I don’t do that so that people will thank me for . . . read more »

Sick Inside Our Broken Health System with that Old Familiar Terror in My Gut

September 5, 2017

by Donna Smith I stepped up to the appointment check-in desk last Thursday as I prepared to have the CT scans needed to find out what the heck is going on with my body. Many . . . read more »

What’s happening to our medical system?

January 12, 2017

Dear Editor: A small saga of the elusive eye drops. I went to the drugstore to renew my prescription of my eye drops, which I use for glaucoma. The pharmacy informed me that they weren’t . . . read more »

Struggling to Serve at the Nation’s Richest University

October 25, 2016

By Rosa Ines Rivera October 24, 2016 in The New York Times Editor’s note: This letter exemplifies why Maine AllCare is fighting for universal, publicly funded health care here in Maine, and nationally. Please join our work . . . read more »

I had health insurance and they didn’t . . .

September 6, 2015

Editor’s Note: Maine State Senator Troy Jackson speaking to the Legislature on May 20, 2013; the crux of the speech is his personal story about a young friend and fellow lumberman who died for lack of . . . read more »