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Clifford Thomas and his family lost four relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, including his beloved mother, Beverly. A middle school teacher, Beverly had struggled with chronic health problems all her life, and when they forced her to leave her job due to disability, she was unable to afford regular medical care. Her final request to her son was that he keep the family healthy.<\/p>\n
But in Albany, Georgia, achieving that promise is a battle. The city is served by a single, dominant hospital system, Phoebe Putney Memorial. Its control of the market and Georgia\u2019s strict limits on Medicaid have left nearly one-third of people in Albany, one of the poorest cities in the state, uninsured.<\/p>\n
Poor access to quality, affordable care has contributed to deep distrust of the system. Residents like Thomas see Phoebe as more of a barrier to good health than a safety net. He gave up on trying to find medical insurance or a doctor who would care for him without it.<\/p>\n
Then, he began to get sick.<\/p>\n
There are millions like Thomas across the United States and dozens of places like Albany \u2014 places with populations suffering high rates of chronic but treatable conditions, where the dominant institution is a hospital. ProPublica examines the country\u2019s health care crisis in a five-part series called \u201cSick in a Hospital Town.\u201d Read or listen to the full series here<\/a>. Watch this short documentary<\/a> for a close-up of one man\u2019s effort to overcome the obstacles to care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n