My name is Catherine Benitz and I am from Greeley, Colorado. I am a 70-year-old retired educator who has lived with psoriasis since the age of three in 1956, Sjogren’s syndrome since 2013, and several other immune conditions diagnosed in 2021 and 2022 after getting COVID-19 vaccines.

In 2010, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and prescribed Jardiance. I am currently on Medicaid and my Medicare health insurance coverage plan is expected to kick in in February. Under Medicaid alone, I would be paying $282 a month just for Jardiance, and still don’t know what that total might be under Medicare. This might not seem like a lot to pay for a necessary medication, but that is a lot for me to pay as someone who is retired and living on a fixed income.

My name is Jacqueline Garibay and I’m a 22-year-old college student from Austin, Texas. The last time I shared my story I was 19, now three years later some changes have been made but I am still being subjected to Big Pharma’s never-ending greed.

Hello, my name is Robyn Hutchison, I am 63 years old and live in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am a patient with diabetes and am now retired via disability after working in retail for 35 years. I have been diagnosed with many health conditions that have not been easy to live with.

My name is Melissa Tavares, I am 31 years old and from Edgewater, Maryland. I am a mother of two, with both my son Victor and daughter Nina diagnosed with epilepsy. Parenthood has thus remained a blessing but it has come with its tremendous challenges as no one ever expects to have two toddlers with medical conditions that require expensive medications.

My name is Bob Parant, and I have been living with type 1 diabetes for 50 years. I am one of the 3.3 million Medicare beneficiaries who need insulin. I was diagnosed during what I call the “dark ages” of diabetes and have had many challenges along the way, including losing my leg.

My name is Jackie Trapp. I live in Muskego, WI and have been married for 34 years to my wonderful, loving husband. In August of 2015, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer.

My name is Steven Hadfield. I am 70 years old, a long-time North Carolinian, a husband, a grandfather of three, and a football fanatic. I’m also a rare cancer and type 2 diabetes patient.