Advocate Spotlight: Judy Wilkins
Insured, stable and still struggling: Judy Wilkins’ healthcare reality check
Judy Wilkins has spent a lifetime doing what she can to stay healthy. At 77, the Utah resident still rides her bike regularly, lifts weights and lives by a simple rule: “If you don’t move it, you lose it.”
That mindset has served her well. Until recently, she had largely avoided serious health issues and felt fortunate to have reliable insurance coverage.
But a single misstep changed that.
What began as a routine errand turned into a painful reminder of how quickly anyone can become entangled in the complexities of the healthcare system. Judy was on her way to the store when she tripped on an uneven ramp and felt a painful tug in her back and shoulder. Judy found herself navigating multiple doctor visits, specialist referrals and the prospect of two MRIs. For the first time, she was not just watching the system’s shortcomings from afar. She was experiencing them firsthand.
And what she found was frustrating.
“I just feel like I have to go through the third degree, just to go over my healthcare,” she said. “Like it’s being questioned.”
That disconnect between patients, providers and insurers is one of the core challenges she now sees clearly. What should be a straightforward process she said instead becomes burdensome, all while she is trying to recover.
Even routine costs have proven unpredictable. After a prior test, Judy paid the hospital bill upfront, only to receive an additional bill weeks later.
“Why didn’t the hospital tell me that upfront?” she said. “I felt like they didn’t have their act together.”
These inconsistencies, she says, erode trust and create unnecessary stress, even for someone like her who is financially stable and insured. And that perspective shapes how she views the broader system.
Asked to describe the state of healthcare in America, Judy did not hesitate.
“Sucks. One word.”
Her blunt assessment reflects both personal frustration and what she has witnessed in her community. While she considers herself fortunate, she knows many others are not.
“I’m grateful to have the insurance,” she said. “I know I have friends who are not as lucky as we are.”
She recounts stories of people who lost jobs, health coverage, and even their homes due to medical and financial strain. For Judy, those experiences underscore a deeper problem. Access to care and financial security should not depend on circumstance or luck.
“I just believe I’m a very blessed person,” she said. “But there are people that are not as blessed as I have been or as lucky as I have been. Somebody has to stand up for them.”
That belief drives her advocacy.
Judy is not a passive observer. She calls her elected officials in Utah regularly, attends marches and uses her voice in any way she can. Outside her home, yard signs signal her commitment, and she says neighbors frequently stop to thank her.
“I call all my representatives frequently when I don’t like what they’re doing,” she said. “If you don’t make noise, you’re not going to do anything.”
Her message to others is simple and direct: Use your voice.
“Any way that you can, speak up,” she said. “Call your senators, call your representatives.”
Even as she continues to manage her injury and navigate the healthcare system, Judy remains focused on the bigger picture. Her recent experience has only reinforced what she already believed: The system is too complicated, too opaque, and too difficult for patients to navigate.
And if it is this challenging for someone with coverage and resources, she argues, it is far worse for those without.
Join Judy Wilkins and other advocates who have shared their stories with Voices for Affordable Health. We’d love to hear from you!
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