The Storytellers
Orlando, FL
Hard working students and youth could face the loss of needed health coverage. Once the Public Health Emergency ends, Florida residents like Iris, a college student with asthma, could lose access to affordable healthcare needed for life-saving medications.
Miami Gardens, FL
Jorge F., 51, had never had to navigate safety net programs to pay his bills or depend on food stamps to buy groceries. He didn’t know how to get help after the COVID-19 crisis that cost him his job at a local events company.
North Miami, FL
After relocating to Miami with the hopes of providing a better life for his family, Hipolito's dream soon turned into a nightmare when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy. He is now struggling to make ends meet and worries about not having healthcare for his family.
Hollywood, FL
S.T. and her family are living on the edge, hanging on to their family’s Medicaid health insurance amid the COVID-19 pandemic, living in fear of losing the healthcare that keeps them alive.
Miami, FL
Johana, who has worked hard her whole life, lost her insurance due to the pandemic. She had to get tested for COVID and now has a bill for over $500.
Orlando, FL
Before Covid-19 hit Central Florida, Michael Smith scraped together a living running his own small business. He doesn’t have health insurance but has medical needs, including asthma he manages on his own.
Hallandale, FL
A single father with serious health problems loses his Medicaid when his daughter turns 18. He loses his ability to work because he must quarantine to save his life. Florida’s limited Medicaid program means he’s unable to see doctors, get life-saving medications or surgery. Where can he turn in the time of COVID-19?
Orlando, FL
Sharon is a 40-year-old with two minor children, ages 15 and 13. The younger child has been diagnosed with ADHD and requires extensive therapy.
Orange County, FL
Adriana Lasanta Bondy is a 42-year-old single mother of two minor children, ages 15 and 10. She moved to the Orlando area two years ago after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.
Miami, FL
Wallace Boddin knows he’s lucky to be alive. The other two patients that were admitted with him to Hialeah Hospital in similar conditions didn’t make it.
Miami, FL
Charilus is a fifty-six-year-old Haitian-American who suffers from cognitive impairments, memory loss, hearing loss, vision loss, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, arthritis, and back pain.
Miami, FL
Before COVID, Adriana, a 60-year-old resident of downtown Miami, had been working hard as a waitress--in spite of serious health problems.
Miami, FL
While Kirk had insurance, he felt a sense of confidence and well-being as he was able to take care of his health care needs. But Kirk’s income as a part-time meatpacker and stocker at a local grocery store dropped to $500 a month, making him ineligible for a health care marketplace subsidy.
Share Your Story
Join the fight by letting your voice be heard!
Contact us if you or a family member need health care and are:
- A low-income worker.
- A parent of a minor child.
- Someone struggling with injury or illness, including mental illness.
- An uninsured Floridian between the ages of 50-64.
Sharing your story --in your words and your voice-- is part of the solution. Together we'll make the case that it's time for everyone to have affordable health care.
Read More About Floridians Who Need Medicaid Expansion
We are grateful to the following funders for support of the STORIES Project:
