Patient Testimonies | May 28, 2026
My name is Karen Scholz, and I have seen the American healthcare system from every possible angle. As a licensed insurance agent in Texas and Ohio and former government subcontractor, I spent my career helping others navigate the maze of insurance coverage. But in 2012, I too became lost in that maze.
At 47 years old while caring for my aging parents, I ignored my own symptoms — swollen legs and labored breathing — until I landed in the emergency room in congestive heart failure. I survived open-heart surgery but my journey was far from over. In 2017, a back surgery left me disabled with permanent nerve damage. Today, I live on Medicare and SSDI, and am witnessing firsthand how our system is failing those it is meant to protect. My father, for example, loses his entire monthly income in order to afford his insulin costs.
Unfortunately, my professional background could not shield me from the sticker shock at the pharmacy. For over a year, I have relied on Jardiance to manage my heart, kidney function, and A1C levels. In 2024, my three month supply cost $5, but in 2025, that same supply spiked to $111.
As a voter and constituent of this country, I believe our government should be doing more to lower drug prices. While I have won an appeal to get my Jardiance covered at no cost, it has required a mountain of paperwork that most patients cannot navigate. I’ve also had medications denied entirely, like Carbamazepine for my nerve pain.
As a healthcare professional and patient, I have seen the failures of a system that prioritizes profits over people. I am sharing my story to ensure that no one, whether it’s my mother living with fibromyalgia or a neighbor on a fixed income, has to choose between their life-saving medication and their survival.
We need lower prescription drug costs now.