Jacqi has experienced more than the average number of challenges a person can face  in a lifetime. And yet, her resilience keeps her standing. A cancer conqueror, single  mother, sole caretaker of a daughter who is a survivor of gun violence, and with a mom who spent 20 years in federal prison. 

Jacqi keeps busy as an activist with several Florida organizations. She also works  various jobs to make ends meet and support herself and her daughter including, cutting  grass, minor home repairs, and business and home cleaning. Like many other South  Floridians, her rent has increased significantly, making life that much harder.  

In 2024, Jacqi was taken to the emergency room at least seven times resulting in nearly  twenty thousand dollars in medical debt.  

“I’ve been turned down for medical treatment, even though I have been paying over  $500 a month for insurance. My last doctor’s visit was $318 plus tax. I had to determine  if I was going to pay for a test or pay for my light bill. Because I want to live, I have a  light payment plan now.” 

Jacqi continues to face health issues that cause her to frequent the emergency room.  Like many uninsured Americans, the emergency room becomes the main option for  care because they know they will not be turned away due to their inability to pay, thanks  to the protections of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, commonly  referred to as EMTALA. They know that they are not required to pay upfront costs for  care, which results in repeat visits for common preventable diseases.  

“I didn’t know what was wrong with me, I was passing out at my job; people would call  the paramedics, and they would take me to the emergency room; if I couldn’t breathe  and had issues with my heart, I’d go to the ER”, she added.  

After each visit, Jacqi will receive weekly bills and numerous calls from the medical  providers trying to recuperate their money, even though she has demonstrated her  inability to pay. The calls and letters add to the stress that Jacqi already faces trying to  survive with her limited income.  

But in addition to being resilient, Jacqi is adaptable. She has figured out a way to  manage her medical debt while prioritizing care: “The bills that come from my 

physicians I try to pay first because they are the people who care directly for me. I send  25 or 20 dollars biweekly or monthly because they did their job, but the ER and  hospitals will have to wait. When hospitals call me, I ask them to send me the contract,  the proof that it was me, my signature. As long as you send them something, even if it’s  just one dollar, it will keep you out of credit trouble; until they prove to me that it was me,  I’m not sending anything”, she added. Not everyone is as savvy as Jacqi. 

Most recently, medical institutions are sending the bills to a third-party agency for  collection agencies. “In these cases, I usually tell them that I didn’t sign a contract with  them and that I didn’t give permission to the hospital to share my personal information  with a third party”, shared Jacqi. 

Close to 100 million people in the U.S. have medical debt, and most cases of  bankruptcy are due to medical debt. One essential step to limiting medical debt in  Florida is for the state to expand Medicaid. To learn more, see here.