Kansas stories: Stephen

Stephen is a father of two from Buhler, Kansas. He is trying to make his life better for his family. After working as a server for awhile, he decided to enroll in a computer program coding bootcamp could help him find a higher paid position -- and hopefully one with health insurance. He took time away from his newborn baby to attend this bootcamp with the hopes that it would propel his career forward.

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Kansas stories: Doug & Jake

Doug opened his heart and his home to a child in need and adopted Jake out of foster care. Like all other kids adopted out of foster care, Jake was covered under Medicaid until he turned 18. But once the public health emergency ended and redeterminations began again, Jake lost his health insurance. Because Kansas has not expanded Medicaid, he is uninsured and in the coverage gap.

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Kansas stories: Julie Jenesta

Julie Jenesta is a social worker at the Salvation Army. She spends her time working with low-income families in northeast Kansas. Many of Julie's clients are single parents who are struggling to take care of themselves, especially when it comes to their health.

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Kansas stories: Tammy

Tammy is a grandmother who recently moved from Kansas City, Missouri, to Shawnee Mission, Kansas. While living in Missouri she qualified for Medicaid; Missouri expanded their Medicaid program in 2021. When she moved to Kansas, she lost access to affordable health insurance since Kansas has not expanded its Medicaid program.

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Kansas stories: Crystal

October 2023 Crystal is from Riley county. She is a mom of two and a social work student. Today Crystal works part-time at a shelter, but in 2016 she became very sick and had to stop working. For a period of time, Crystal was uninsured. She didn’t get any care while she was without insurance, […]

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story of the month: Kansas navigator

A single mom with four children came in to see what options she might have for health insurance coverage. She hadn't had health insurance for several years and knew that she needed assistance to find affordable health coverage. She filled out an application for the Health Insurance Marketplace, hoping to get financial assistance or find something affordable. At the end of the application, though, it was clear: she was left without any affordable options. She made too much to qualify for the stat