The United States’ health care system is broken:

• 137 million Americans are in medical debt — one-third of all GoFundMe pages are to raise money for medical costs.
• A quarter of Americans are delaying seeking medical help because of costs.
• Black patients are less likely to get the medical care they need than white patients.
• Doctors have double the suicide rate of the general population.

Jacobin is launching a column that showcases how health care in the United States affects the lives of ordinary Americans.

We are asking for personal essays on your experience with health care — whether as a patient, a loved one, a doctor, or a nurse. Did you have to get a second job to pay off your medical treatment cost, or treat the same patient over and over again in the ER because they didn’t have insurance, or not see a doctor because you couldn’t afford health care?

Stories can fall under a broad umbrella — what editors are looking for are deep, personal stories that capture what it’s like to survive in our American health care system, and the lasting effects it has on our lives.

Submit your stories to: [email protected]

• Length can be up to 1,000 words, in Word document or in the text of the email.
• Include “MODERN HEALTH” in the subject line.
• Please include your full name and contact information.
• You can remain anonymous for the published piece, but your story will be fact-checked; if selected, we will contact you for necessary information.