Uncared For

With the U.S. being the most dangerous high-income nation for childbirth, postpartum is a critical time for new mothers to have continuous, uninterrupted healthcare. Most of the country has extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months, but two states, Arkansas and Wisconsin, have yet to extend coverage – putting the lives of thousands of women at risk. In this episode, Arkansas mother of twins Maya Gobara talks about losing her healthcare while her preemie twins were on breathing tubes and she needed urgent surgery. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need. Learn more or donate to Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families at aradvocates.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About half of people with mental illness aren’t able to access treatment – and it's not just because the U.S. is facing a provider shortage. Health insurance networks often create barriers to mental health care, rather than making it more accessible. Just ask Berkeley-based therapist Kendra F. Dunlap, who stopped taking insurance due to low reimbursements, coding errors, and endless paperwork. This week, we’re exploring how insurers make it so challenging for therapists like Kendra to stay in-network – and why patients often pay the price. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need. For access to sliding scale therapy, check out Open Path Collective. For Black women and nonbinary people, Loveland Foundation is another great resource offering therapy support. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rural healthcare is in crisis. Nearly 200 rural hospitals across the country have closed in the past two decades, and many more are on the brink. In this episode, we’re zeroing in on the state with the lowest-ranking health care system in the nation: Mississippi. With help from Dr. Kimberly Sanford, an OB/GYN, and Dr. Daniel Edney, Mississippi's State Health Officer, we’ll uncover what rural healthcare looks like today – and why it’s so important to support it. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly one in five people report that they or a family member have been denied coverage for a service that their own doctor recommended. For cancer patients like Kay Hsu, those denials aren’t just about money – they’re about survival. When her insurance company denied a life-saving scan, Kay fought to get the care she needed and became an advocate along the way. In this episode, we’ll break down what it means to get a denial, and how – like Kay – you can fight back. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need. Check out Pro Publica’s Claim File Helper to request your claim file before submitting an appeal, and create appeal documents to send to your insurer using Fight Health Insurance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four in ten people in the United States have medical debt. It's something many of us deal with every day – by avoiding bills, paying with our credit cards, even crowdfunding to cover costs. Whether you have a chronic illness, need an expensive treatment, or are caring for a loved one, debt unfortunately seems to be unavoidable in our system. In this episode, we break all this down with KFF Health News Senior Correspondent Noam Levey. And we hear from radiation oncologist Dr. Fumiko Chino about what drowning in medical debt felt like when her husband, Andrew, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need. Read Noam Levey’s reporting at KFF Health News, including the reporting series he led, Diagnosis: Debt. Learn more about Fumiko Chino’s research on health care costs and affordability here. If you’re struggling with a big medical bill, check out the website dollarfor.org. It’s a great resource for navigating a hospital’s financial assistance program. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When your loved one is sick, all you want is to make the pain go away. But for far too many Americans, finding – and paying – for healthcare is when the real pain begins. From medical debt to insurance denials to rural hospital closures, host SuChin Pak is taking a hard look at the many ways our system is failing us. Season 3 of Uncared For from Lemonada Media and The Commonwealth Fund. Coming August 6. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A request from the Uncared For team: Tell us about your experience with medical debt or struggles to find a therapist. Record a voice message at speakpipe.com/UncaredFor or send it to uncaredfor@lemonadamedia.com We’ll listen to every message sent in, and some might become part of our upcoming season. Thanks! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the upcoming Trump presidency mean for the care economy and the over 105 million family caregivers in our country? In this post-election bonus episode, caregiving expert and policy advocate Ai-jen Poo returns to tell us what challenges lay ahead for families and care workers, and how we can keep fighting for a better system that allows us to truly show up for care. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special bonus episode, host SuChin Pak talks with health policy expert Julie Rovner about the most pressing health care issues on the minds of voters this election – from abortion to medical debt to long-term care. And Julie explains why, in the 38 years she’s been covering healthcare and Capitol Hill, the 2024 election is different from any other she’s seen. Find Julie Rovner’s work at kffhealthnews.org and listen to her podcast What The Health. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. To learn more on what’s at stake in the 2024 Election for health care, go to the Commonwealth Fund’s “Health Care on the Ballot in 2024” election guide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, Kim Moy cared for her kids and husband, while helping to care for her parents – an experience she describes as being in a “pressure cooker.” Being a caregiver to any loved one can be emotionally draining, but caring for a spouse can be a whole new level of lonely. In our final conversation of the season, Kim talks about the tradeoffs of being a spousal caregiver, grieving the loss of someone who’s still there, and how she’s learned to let go of the way things used to be. Kim Moy’s Caregiver Wisdom offers resources and workshops for those who take care of loved ones with chronic debilitating illnesses. Learn about the monthly support group, workshops, and one-on-one coaching here. Dr. Pauline Boss coined the term ambiguous loss, which Kim talks about in the episode. Learn more about ambiguous loss and Dr. Boss at ambiguousloss.com. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can a family caregiver look after her loved ones and herself while navigating a broken healthcare system? Renee Hanania has been advocating for her son Branden to receive care for his disability under Medicaid, piecing together a “care village” for him and his complex needs. All the while, she’s also been battling her own health concern: stage four breast cancer. Keep up with Renee and Branden via their Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/BrandenTheBrave/. For more information about why you may have lost health care coverage since the unwinding of continuous Medicaid enrollment in 2023, visit https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/10-things-to-know-about-the-unwinding-of-the-medicaid-continuous-enrollment-provision/ This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One in six Americans is over age 65, and that number is only going to climb in the next few decades. So how can we collectively prepare for this elder boom? Ai-jen Poo is president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and she thinks this is our golden opportunity to finally give caregivers their due. We hear about why we need to expand Medicaid access, improve job conditions for care workers, and see aging as a gift, not a crisis. We also talk to professional home care worker Katrina Mouzon about the challenges facing care workers today. Learn more about supporting professional care workers at The National Domestic Workers Alliance’s website, https://www.domesticworkers.org/. For more information on Washington’s public long-term care insurance program, visit https://wacaresfund.wa.gov/. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big chunk of family caregivers in this country are part of the “sandwich generation” – people caring for young children and aging parents at the same time. Robert Ingenito was one of them. After caring for his dad and raising his young daughter while working, Robert came to a breaking point. He decided to move his dad to an assisted living facility. It wasn’t an easy decision, and it’s one he still grapples with today. Learn more about respite care, including respite care opportunities in your area, at ARCH National Respite Network’s website. The website provides a National Respite Locator Service, and information on how to pay for respite care. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As someone living with HIV, Vince Crisostomo couldn’t imagine aging past thirty, let alone getting old enough to care for his parents. But when the time came to look after them, Vince embraced it, especially after years of caregiving for his community during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He helped his parents move to an assisted living center and managed their care, this time during a different global health crisis: COVID-19. Learn more about the San Francisco AIDS Foundation at their website, https://www.sfaf.org/ This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Jessica Guthrie became a caregiver at age 26, her life turned upside down. Her career, friendships, and love life went on the back burner as she prioritized caring for her mom, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Over nine years of caregiving, she’s faced burnout, medical racism, and the isolation of doing it all alone. But despite the challenges, Jessica finds power in the small moments she still has with her mom, and the community of Black caregivers she’s found on social media. Learn more about Jessica Guthrie at https://www.jessicacguthrie.com/ and follow her on Instagram @careercaregivingcollide. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poet and artist Yosimar Reyes moved home to take care of his grandmother during the pandemic. Sometimes he cries in his car from the stress and pressure of caregiving. But he also knows how lost he’d be without her. In this beautiful and honest conversation, Yosimar shares how he supports his 90-year-old grandmother – financially, mentally, and emotionally. Learn more about Yosimar Reyes on his website and follow him on Instagram @yosirey. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you’re caring for an aging parent, you want the best care possible. But what does that care cost? And who pays for it? AARP’s caregiving expert Amy Goyer struggled financially to give her parents the best care possible and even ended up filing for bankruptcy. Despite this, Amy looks back on the joy of caregiving and celebrating the wins. AARP has financial and legal resources for caregivers, including ways to protect your money while caring for a loved one or friend. AARP also has information on how to find credit counseling here. Join AARP’s Family Caregivers Discussion Group on Facebook. This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. Follow SuChin Pak on Instagram @SuchinPak and Lemonada at @lemonadamedia across all social platforms. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roughly 42 million Americans are caregivers for an older loved one. It's work that is exhausting, gratifying, and lonely all at once. In Season 2 of Uncared For, host SuChin Pak talks to family caregivers about how they do it - how they balance their careers, kids, navigating our healthcare system and trying to stay sane - with the challenge of caring for our elders. From Lemonada Media and The Commonwealth Fund. Coming May 15. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are millions of us – kids included – losing Medicaid coverage, oftentimes by accident? And how can we get it back? We’ll answer these questions with Medicaid expert Joan Alker, and hear Litha’s story – an Arkansas resident who lost coverage for five months, all while coping with life-threatening kidney failure. Resources: For research and articles from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, visit: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/. Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Learn more at CommonwealthFund.org. SuChin Pak is our host. This bonus episode was produced by Giulia Hjort and mixed by Bobby Woody. Chrystal Genesis is our Supervising Producer. Jackie Danziger is our VP of Narrative Content. Executive producers are Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Follow SuChin on Twitter and Instagram at @suchinpak. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insurance plays a big role in deciding the kind of health care we receive in this country – and how much it’ll cost us. Today, we’re speaking with ProPublica reporter Maya Miller about wrongful insurance denials and knowing your rights as a patient. Resources: Read Maya and other ProPublica reporters’ coverage of insurance denials here: https://www.propublica.org/article/unitedhealth-healthcare-insurance-denial-ulcerative-colitishttps://www.propublica.org/article/cigna-pxdx-medical-health-insurance-rejection-claimshttps://www.propublica.org/article/find-out-why-health-insurance-claim-deniedhttps://www.propublica.org/article/your-right-to-know-why-health-insurer-denied-claimhttps://www.propublica.org/article/how-often-do-health-insurers-deny-patients-claimshttps://www.propublica.org/article/priority-health-michigan-cart-insurance-vanpatten-denialshttps://www.propublica.org/article/we-asked-prosecutors-if-health-insurance-companies-care-about-fraud-they-laughed-at-ushttps://projects.propublica.org/claimfile/ Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation making grants to promote an equitable, high-performing health care system. Learn more at CommonwealthFund.org. SuChin Pak is our host. This bonus episode was produced by Giulia Hjort and mixed by Bobby Woody. Jackie Danziger is our VP of Narrative Content. Executive producers are Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Follow SuChin on Twitter and Instagram at @suchinpak. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.