In a country that seems more divided than ever, there's one thing almost everyone agrees on: our healthcare system feels broken. From crushing medical debt, to rural hospital closures, deep cuts to medicaid, and the stress of insurance denials, so many Americans aren’t getting the care they need. In Season 3 of Uncared For, award-winning journalist SuChin Pak (Add to Cart, MTV News) talks to patients, physicians, advocates, and experts to explore the issues – and demand better. From Lemonada Media and The Commonwealth Fund.
With the U.S. being the most dangerous high-income nation for childbirth, postpartum is a critical time for new mothers to have continuous, uninterrupted healthcare. Most of the country has extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months, but two states, Arkansas and Wisconsin, have yet to extend coverage – putting the lives of thousands of women at risk. In this episode, Arkansas mother of twins Maya Gobara talks about losing her healthcare while her preemie twins were on breathing tubes and she needed urgent surgery.
This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/), a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need.
Learn more or donate to Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families at aradvocates.org (http://aradvocates.org).
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
27 Aug 2025
Why Is It So Hard To Find a Therapist?
About half of people with mental illness aren’t able to access treatment – and it's not just because the U.S. is facing a provider shortage. Health insurance networks often create barriers to mental health care, rather than making it more accessible. Just ask Berkeley-based therapist Kendra F. Dunlap, who stopped taking insurance due to low reimbursements, coding errors, and endless paperwork. This week, we’re exploring how insurers make it so challenging for therapists like Kendra to stay in-network – and why patients often pay the price.
This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/), a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need.
For access to sliding scale therapy, check out Open Path Collective (https://openpathcollective.org/). For Black women and nonbinary people, Loveland Foundation (https://thelovelandfoundation.org/) is another great resource offering therapy support.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
20 Aug 2025TRANSCRIPT
Rural Health Care is in Crisis
Rural healthcare is in crisis. Nearly 200 rural hospitals across the country have closed in the past two decades, and many more are on the brink. In this episode, we’re zeroing in on the state with the lowest-ranking health care system in the nation: Mississippi. With help from Dr. Kimberly Sanford, an OB/GYN, and Dr. Daniel Edney, Mississippi's State Health Officer, we’ll uncover what rural healthcare looks like today – and why it’s so important to support it.
This season of Uncared For is presented by the Commonwealth Fund (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/), a nonprofit foundation working toward a health care system where everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make – can get the health care they need.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
Inside a recent episode
Fighting for Maternal Healthcare in Arkansas
Published 3 Sept 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] This past April, a bill to extend postpartum Medicaid in Arkansas to 12 months past the Arkansas House. It was a glimmer of hope for the state, which, as a reminder, is the only state aside from Wisconsin that hasn't passed the full postpartum Medicaid extension. When the bill went to a Senate committee, several women testified, including Daniel Wright, who spoke about her own experience losing Medicaid coverage shortly after giving birth. I personally experienced losing coverage after having my one -year -old son, who also temporarily also lost his coverage. This was extremely difficult because we're covering from an emergency CC section that was completely unplanned, caring for two other children as a single mother and seeking mental health therapy for myself. […]
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