When 50-year-old Lashundia needed major dental work, she thought her insurance would cover most of it. Instead, the South Florida single mother found herself trapped in a cycle of debt that still haunts her months later.
“I just wanted to fix my smile,” she says. “I have a beautiful smile — I just couldn’t afford to keep it.”
Lashundia lives with her 15-year-old daughter and survives on limited Social Security benefits. Between rent, electricity, water, and groceries, every dollar already had a purpose. But when the dental bill came — more than $2,500 even after insurance and partial financial assistance — she had to make an impossible choice.
“I signed up for a payment plan and started paying bi-weekly,” she recalls. “But when you’re doing it all on your own, it’s hard. I fell behind a couple of months, and my credit dropped. I’m still paying on it.”
The debt weighs heavily, not just on her finances but on her peace of mind. “It’s stressful,” she says. “They call to check on payments, but thankfully they’re not mean about it. Still, every time the phone rings, it’s a reminder that I owe.”
For Lashundia, this experience revealed just how fragile financial stability can be when health needs arise. “We don’t choose to have medical debt,” she says. “Life happens. We don’t ask to get sick or need care. It just happens.”
She believes policymakers could make the system more compassionate. “There shouldn’t be interest fees on medical debt,” she says. “Give people more time and patience to pay. If someone owes $1,500, make the payment $50 a month without interest. That’s fair.”
Across Florida, thousands of families face similar struggles — caught between basic survival costs and medical bills that never seem to end. For Lashundia, the stress is real, but so is her determination. She focuses on her daughter’s future and takes each day one payment at a time.
“I just try to stay positive,” she says. “I thank God for people who listen and care enough
to share our stories. Who else can tell it better than the ones living it?”
In the U.S., close to 100 million people have medical debt, and, most cases of bankruptcy, are the result of medical debt. One essential step to limiting medical debt in Florida is for the state to expand Medicaid. Florida is one of just 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid. To learn more, see here.
When 50-year-old Lashundia needed major dental work, she thought her insurance would cover most of it. Instead, the South Florida single mother found herself trapped in a cycle of debt that still haunts her months later.
“I just wanted to fix my smile,” she says. “I have a beautiful smile — I just couldn’t afford to keep it.”
Lashundia lives with her 15-year-old daughter and survives on limited Social Security benefits. Between rent, electricity, water, and groceries, every dollar already had a purpose. But when the dental bill came — more than $2,500 even after insurance and partial financial assistance — she had to make an impossible choice.
“I signed up for a payment plan and started paying bi-weekly,” she recalls. “But when you’re doing it all on your own, it’s hard. I fell behind a couple of months, and my credit dropped. I’m still paying on it.”
The debt weighs heavily, not just on her finances but on her peace of mind. “It’s stressful,” she says. “They call to check on payments, but thankfully they’re not mean about it. Still, every time the phone rings, it’s a reminder that I owe.”
For Lashundia, this experience revealed just how fragile financial stability can be when health needs arise. “We don’t choose to have medical debt,” she says. “Life happens. We don’t ask to get sick or need care. It just happens.”
She believes policymakers could make the system more compassionate. “There shouldn’t be interest fees on medical debt,” she says. “Give people more time and patience to pay. If someone owes $1,500, make the payment $50 a month without interest. That’s fair.”
Across Florida, thousands of families face similar struggles — caught between basic survival costs and medical bills that never seem to end. For Lashundia, the stress is real, but so is her determination. She focuses on her daughter’s future and takes each day one payment at a time.
“I just try to stay positive,” she says. “I thank God for people who listen and care enough
to share our stories. Who else can tell it better than the ones living it?”
In the U.S., close to 100 million people have medical debt, and, most cases of bankruptcy, are the result of medical debt. One essential step to limiting medical debt in Florida is for the state to expand Medicaid. Florida is one of just 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid. To learn more, see here.
Florida Health Justice Project engages in comprehensive advocacy to expand health care access and promote health equity for vulnerable Floridians.
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) toll-free within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.
