At Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, we know that data and numbers are important, but we also know that they only tell one part of a story. Behind every data point is a person with real life experiences. That number is a parent, a student, or a hardworking Arkansan whose life is shaped by their access to health care.

Last year, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families conducted individual interviews with over 100 Arkansans to learn about their lived experience with Medicaid. We used what we learned to advocate for program improvements during the 2025 legislative session, such as the continued need to extend Pregnancy Medicaid coverage during the postpartum period.

But we didn’t stop there. We know stories are powerful, so, with their permission, we also lifted up these Arkansans’ stories through our “Medicaid Minute” video series. We shared these short videos on our website and social media platforms, as well as during community events and our Advocacy and Storytelling 101 trainings. Amplifying these personal stories offers a way for more community members to learn about how Medicaid improves their neighbors’ lives, as well as how the program could be improved. This knowledge may then inspire community members to advocate for this important health care program that saves lives.

This year, we’ve changed the format of our story collection to small group style interviewing of six to 12 participants who’ve been insured through Arkansas Medicaid in the past two years. What we’ve learned so far is that many people are more likely to share their stories when they know they have something in common, a shared experience, with the person sitting next to them.

Why Sharing Your Story Matters

• Stories Better Inform Policy: When lawmakers hear from Arkansans about their experiences with a program or policy, it helps add real-life context to an issue.
• Stories Put Faces to Numbers: Numbers are important, but storytellers show the impact — a mom who could get prenatal care, a single-parent who could take their child to the doctor when they’re sick, or a family who didn’t have to rely on emergency room care as their primary source of health care.
• Stories Build Community: When you share your story, you join other Arkansans in fighting for and shaping the future of the Arkansas Medicaid program. These stories combined are a powerful source of advocacy.

How to Share Your Story

Sharing your experiences doesn’t always have to be on a large scale. It doesn’t have to be with a reporter, in a focus group, or recorded to be shared on social media. Often, sharing your story starts in your own community. This means making sure the people around you know what programs and policies are important to you and why. That is the first step in storytelling, being open enough to share your experiences with the people around you who will listen.

In a time of such uncertainty with health care coverage, and the increasing reality that many Arkansans may lose access to that coverage in the coming months and years, it is more important than ever to share your story. Whether you’ve experienced the relief that comes with having coverage when it matters most, faced barriers navigating the Medicaid system, or experienced negative impacts when losing coverage, we encourage you to share those experiences with your friends, neighbors, and even your state legislators to help shape a future where all Arkansas families have access to the health care they need to thrive.

Medicaid coverage is essential to hundreds of thousands of Arkansans not only because they can access the health care they need when they are sick, but also because access to that care keeps people healthy enough to work, provide for their families, or be a caregiver to small children or elderly parents. The impact of Medicaid goes far beyond the doctor’s office.

As we approach 2026, stay tuned on how you can participate in storytelling work with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. To learn more about sharing your story, please contact our Health Policy Associate. 

Hayley Erin Cormican, Health Policy Associate
Email: hcormican@aradvocates.org
Phone: 870-262-7856