When Healthcare Becomes a Risk Instead of a Right

Author’s note: This post may not resonate with everyone, and that’s okay. It’s written from lived experience and from my commitment to supporting women’s health, advocacy, and informed care.

I don’t usually write about government or policy. It’s not that I don’t have strong opinions. However, my work has always been about helping women feel better in their bodies and more confident in advocating for their health.

But I’m disappointed, let down, and mad, and it feels important to say why.

I’m a woman in my 60s, I’m self-employed, and I live with an autoimmune disease.

And recently, I had to choose a less expensive health insurance plan with limited coverage; not because it was appropriate for my health, but because it was all I could reasonably afford.

That is not okay with me.

When people talk about “choice” in healthcare, they often ignore reality. High premiums and inadequate coverage don’t reflect poor planning; they reflect a system that leaves many people, especially older women and the self-employed, exposed and unprotected.

Healthcare should not require risking your financial or physical well-being. Yet, that is how it feels to me today.

This experience has reinforced what I see every day in my work: women are expected to navigate complex health issues with little support, mixed messages, and rising costs, while staying quiet about the stress it creates.

That stress is not harmless. Chronic stress worsens symptoms, increases inflammation, disrupts sleep, and makes it harder to focus, work, and be productive, especially for women already managing autoimmune conditions and midlife health changes.

And yet, we’re expected to push through.

That reality is one of the reasons I do what I do. I believe women deserve: clear, honest information, support in navigating healthcare decisions, guidance in advocating for themselves, and care that looks at the whole person, not just a diagnosis.

This isn’t just about politics, it’s about responsibility and decency.

So this is my way to speak out now. We can acknowledge broken systems and refuse to normalize them. We can demand better care while supporting women where they are, right now.

I will continue to stand with women who feel unheard, overwhelmed, or forced to make impossible choices about their health. You are not failing. The system is. And your health is worth fighting for.  

If you’re in midlife and feeling overwhelmed by health changes or the systems surrounding them, you can learn more about my work at Dahlia Health & Nutrition Coaching, where care is personalized, and advocacy is part of the process.

Bonnie Papajohn

Certified Health, Nutrition, and Menopause Coach

Founder, Dahlia Health & Nutrition Coaching

www.dahliahealthandnutritioncoaching.com