Belinda Smith

In 2021, 57-year-old Belinda Smith was in a car accident that left her with severe injuries to her shoulder and hip. Without health insurance, she couldn’t afford the care she needed, including a $3,500 hip replacement. Despite working overtime as a private duty nurse at the time, Belinda’s employer didn’t offer health benefits, leaving her to manage her injuries on her own. Over time, her condition worsened without proper treatment, but she pushed through, continuing to work until March 2024, when her physical limitations made it impossible to care for her patients any longer.

Now, Belinda finds herself underemployed and in the coverage gap—unable to qualify for Medicaid and unable to afford a marketplace health plan. She’s been forced to rely on emergency room visits and a local health center for care, accumulating out-of-pocket expenses. Although the health center provides basic care, it doesn’t offer the specialized surgeries or long-term care she requires, and she’s often forced to delay filling her prescriptions because she simply can’t afford them.

Belinda is eager to return to work. Yet, without the surgeries and treatments she needs, she knows she can’t. “I’m not asking for money… all I want is Medicaid so I can get myself together,” she says. “Because once I get this surgery, then I can just go back to work.”

Since leaving her job as a nurse, Belinda has struggled to cover basic expenses by taking on odd jobs, but it hasn’t been enough. She’s accumulated significant medical debt and faces the constant stress of choosing between her health and necessities. Access to healthcare would allow her to receive the surgeries and ongoing care necessary for her recovery and overall health.