Protect Health Care: Share Your Story

Please read the following. In addition to sharing your story with Families USA, we encourage you to also share it with your legislators. You can find yours here: www.commoncause.org/take-action/find-elected-officials/

We've also included a contact list.

Family Voices Indiana will be visiting legislators in DC in December. Please send us your story as well at projects@fvindiana.org and we will hand deliver them.

For decades, Families USA has collected personal stories that highlight consumer experiences with the health care system. These stories help bring the health care debate to life by transforming mere statistics into real conversations about how people benefit from quality, affordable health coverage.  

Although the Affordable Care Act was passed several years ago, your personal stories remain important to our advocacy work. Your stories help us continue to improve the health care system by demonstrating how health reform is affecting people everywhere. This is why we’d like to hear about your successes, as well as any experiences that illustrate the need for further improvements in health coverage and care. Whether your story is about how your family has benefitted from expanded access and services, or it shows that you still struggle to get quality, affordable care, we want to hear from you. 

Here are some examples of the types of stories we’re collecting:  

• Individuals who have been able to enroll in or buy health coverage as a result of newly expanded options, or individuals who have been unable to enroll for any reason
• People who are benefitting from more comprehensive coverage, like the ban on exclusions for pre-existing conditions or the ban on gender and age rating
• Consumers who are now able to get preventive care, including physicals, mammograms, flu shots, colonoscopies, mental health screenings, and women’s health services 
• Individuals who have been affected by health care affordability issues—whether you’ve saved money by getting tax credit subsidies to help lower the cost of a marketplace health plan or you now pay more for prescription drug costs or you’re struggling with a high-deductible plan, we want to hear from you 
• People who are enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program) and would be affected by cuts to these programs
• Consumers who have been denied services or care for any kind of treatment. 

Don’t see your particular issue listed? That’s okay—we would still love to hear from you. Contact us at storybank@familiesusa.org.

Why the need?

By telling your story, you help put a face on the issues that we continue to see in the health care system. You speak for people who may be facing issues just like yours. In coming forward, you have the opportunity to help change the future for millions of Americans.

How does it work?

• Submit your story below (http://familiesusa.org/share-your-story) or by emailing us at storybank@familiesusa.org.
• After you submit your story (and optional photo), a member of our staff may contact you to learn more about your situation and to ensure that Families USA understands your story in detail. 
• Families USA will match participants with opportunities to share their stories publicly. Opportunities may include: requests from the media, policymakers, and advocates; use in our online efforts; and use in our policy briefs. 
• We will always ask your permission before we release any contact information or use your story, and you can always opt out of any opportunity.

Tell Us Your Story

  Share Your Voice by Family Voices Indiana on Scribd