My name is Roquesha O’Neal. I am a dedicated mother, and I am passionate about the health of my family and my community in Detroit! 

Recently, my mother needed to have a very serious and intensive surgery. The surgery was successful. After her procedure, her doctor prescribed her pain medication to help with her recovery. But instead of being able to get the medication her doctor said she needed quickly, her insurance messed up her claim and didn’t approve her getting the medication.

I was so upset and afraid, knowing that my mom wasn’t able to get the medicine her doctor said she needed, so I brought my concerns to a local Care Over Cost meeting. Immediately, their staff and volunteer leadership teams sprung into action to work with me to help make sure my mother was able to get the medicine she needed.

Care Over Cost organizers talked me through what steps to take with my insurance and made sure my insurance knew that I had organized community support backing me up. After taking these steps, I was able to successfully appeal my mother’s claim denial and she was able to get the care she needed. 

Roquesha O’Neal is a member-leader with Michigan United, part of the People’s Action national network of grassroots power-building groups. In May, she joined the Care Over Cost team in Detroit, and they successfully helped her overturn her mother’s denial of care.