Transparency Disclosure

In a world of sponsored “health tech” content, here is the truth:

• I am a paying subscriber of Perplexity Pro ($20/mo) and a paying subscriber of the Guava Health Family Plan.
• While I serve on the Guava Health Patient Advisory Panel, I do so pro bono (unpaid).

This review is not a promotion; it is a clinical audit. I’ve spent my own money on these tools because I am a “spoonie” patient, provider, and researcher searching for a way to make a complex life more manageable. (But for the record, I do accept cookies.)

The Dangerous Illusion of “All Your Data”

The biggest risk of Perplexity Health (Beta) is the illusion of completeness. Its marketing promises a seamless “Health Hub,” but my testing revealed a dangerous “blind spot.” Despite being connected to my EMRs, Perplexity ignored my most recent labs and defaulted to a T4 Free result from 2021 as my “current” status.

The Safety Warning: If a patient trusts Perplexity’s dashboard, they might miss key data and believe they are clinically stable when the AI is simply “ignoring” the last five years of their data because it didn’t index in a way the AI could add to your biomarkers.

The Guava Advantage: Guava understands that medical data is messy. Even when a provider doesn’t have a direct API integration, Guava allows you to upload the report. The platform doesn’t just “store” the PDF; it indexes and pulls that data into your biomarkers, ensuring your trends are accurate and complete (or as complete as the data it obtains via APIs and your uploads).

The “Spoonie Tax”: Friction as a Barrier

Chronic illness management is often a full-time job. We use technology to save “spoons,” not spend them. Perplexity, however, added to that fatigue through technical friction:

The Quantity and Size File Wall

I could only upload 200 documents. As a person with chronic illness who has been on this earth more than say 40 years, that didn’t begin to cover even half of my documents. You might tell me, ‘Just upload the most important ones’ or ‘Import them from the provider’, well, I tried that.

• The connection to my primary care provider’s office linked to her old facility vs. the current one despite having the correct address on file for her.
• My dermatologist, hematologist, integrative medicine provider, endocrinologist, cardiologist, gynecologist, primary care provider, and gastroenterologist weren’t accessible via Perplexity. (And these are only a few of the providers whose data couldn’t be accessed by Perplexity.)
  • Note. Six of eight of the above aren’t accessible via Guava either, but I can upload those visit notes to Guava Health myself.
• To only see 10% of the data can also limit seeing the big picture. So, I grouped the files using Adobe to upload them (after deleting each individual file that I had uploaded).
  • BUT if you’ve used AI to try to analyze data in large 150+ page files, you’ll know … it isn’t always easy. (Even Gemini tells me occasionally that my files are “too large”.)

The Administrative Demand

Then I had an interesting ‘conversation’ with Perplexity’s AI when I realized that despite syncing up with the API of one of my facilities with most of the lab data, it was missing specific data points (e.g., all Free T4 data after November 2021 despite that specific lab being drawn between 2-6 times/year.)

So I asked Perplexity Health’s AI where the labs are, and was told “You’re right that [FACILITY X] has them and that you uploaded them; the issue is that they’re not surfacing in the structured “labs/observations” stream I can see”. The AI provided several reasons for why those labs weren’t there:

• They may be stored only as a scanned PDF/image of the ER report, not as discrete lab rows, so they don’t appear in the lab feed even though they’re in your chart.
• The upload might be filed under “Media,” “Documents,” or an outside-records bucket that isn’t mapped into the lab/observation section my view is pulling from.
• The interface that shares data from Facility X’s EMR to this aggregate view may not map ED lab panels from that date or that specific visit type correctly.

But as a patient, provider, or researcher, the issue for those of us using Perplexity Health is that those labs aren’t there, and even uploading them, doesn’t lead to them being added to the biomarker section of the site.

So when I asked Perplexity AI what I should do, it suggested that I call the hospital’s IT department to request they “re-index” my FHIR API mapping.

Even when I provided the connections to the facilities and uploaded the records (labs and visit notes), which took A LOT OF TIME, I learned today from the Perplexity Health AI: “So even though those note sets exist in your health system, what’s flowing into this connection right now is the coded summary, not the full written note body”.

To get Perplexity Health AI to review the visit note (not the summary, the actual note), I had to reupload the visit notes to the AI side of the conversation so it could read those vs. the coded summaries.

With that in mind, Guava’s AI had me copy the line from the visit note that I wanted it to compare with my other visit notes. This is what Guava Health’s AI told me today: “I can review excerpts you paste here, but I can’t directly pull provider notes from your chart unless the app exposes them to me in this chat. If you want, paste the relevant sections”.

The Patient’s Reality

Asking a hospital’s HIM department to fix a third-party AI’s mapping is an exercise in futility. We don’t have the energy to act as unpaid data engineers for a Beta product that is already charging a premium. Also, what do you think the hospital system would say if I asked for this?

Help Desk Emails

I have emailed the help desk for Perplexity Health AI and Guava. Because I did so about the above issue with Perplexity Health AI at the suggestion of the AI after it realized it was missing significant biomarker data points, let’s address the difference.

Perplexity Health: AI Support Agent Sam emailed me back to thank me for my insights and saying that they forwarded my feedback about lab integration limitations, file upload limits, and suggestions to the product team. I sent the email April 14, 2026. I haven’t heard back.

Guava Health: This is one example of an email with the Guava Help Desk. I emailed Guava Health’s Help Desk and asked how to fix an issue when there were two sources for the same lab on August 7, 2025. On August 8, 2025, I received an email from Alex Yau, Founder and President of Guava Health to answer my question. He asked for a screenshot for an example, which I sent and he followed up with additional insight and added that he would forward it to his team to give more thought.

Note. Both Perplexity Health AI and Guava Health have discords. I am not in the Perplexity discord, but I am in the Guava Health Discord.

The Android OS Barrier

While iOS users have a native Hub, Perplexity is “desktop-primary” for Android users. Using a mobile browser to check your health data is clunky and lacks the seamless utility of a native app.

The Repository Advantage: DICOM, Quest, and GI Notes

Guava is a Source of Truth; Perplexity is a search window.

• Imaging (DICOM): Guava supports actual X-ray, CT, and MRI image files. You aren’t just storing a “report”; you are carrying your entire imaging library in your pocket. (Note. You need to upload those, but, still.)
• Medication Reconciliation: I manage 62 active medications. Guava allows me to merge and deduplicate them across providers. Perplexity was able to retrieve some medication lists from the facilities BUT some of those lists were outdated.

My understanding is that Perplexity Health AI integrates with Apple Health for medication management, but I use Android, so I cannot comment on that.

I can, however, comment on Guava Health’s Medication management:

Data Portability: The “Disability & Tax” Hack

The true power of a health platform is what you can do with the data.

• The Guava Hack: I downloaded my encounter history from Guava and used Gemini (in thinking or data analysis mode) to generate a mileage CSV for my taxes and a total encounter count for other paperwork. Guava provided the “raw material” to simplify my legal and financial life.
• Perplexity’s Failure: Because Perplexity couldn’t accurately aggregate my history, I question whether it could do so accurately.

I’ll talk more about this in another post.

Setting Health Goals in Perplexity

One of the most revealing disconnects in Perplexity’s “Health Hub” is the Health Goals feature, which feels fundamentally “un-Spoonie.” While the marketing suggests a personalized experience, the available goals are largely aspirational wellness targets—like “Improving sleep” or “Marathon training”—that assume a linear, healthy baseline.

For a patient managing chronic illness, these rigid targets are often inappropriate or even demoralizing, as they ignore the daily fluctuations in energy and capacity that define the “Spoonie” experience. In contrast, the Fitbit Beta with Gemini feels significantly more approachable; instead of assigning a generic wellness category, it begins with a conversation about your specific challenges and health conditions. This “Coach” approach allows the AI to adjust its insights to your actual reality, rather than forcing you into a “fitness enthusiast” mold that your body simply isn’t in today.

Auditing for Bias & The Privacy Trap

I decided to test Guava Health and Perplexity AI today on auditing visit notes for biased language from a specific former provider.

• While Perplexity was helpful, I found that NotebookLM and Gemini were significantly better at finding subtle linguistic cues.
• Guava Health had me copy and paste the lines from the visit note into the AI for analysis against my record, but the AI then gave me an excellent plain language overview of bias in the portion I provided it.

CRITICAL PRIVACY WARNING: Unless you have a signed BAA (Business Associate Agreement)—like Guava—BE AWARE that uploading sensitive records to any non-HIPAA compliant AI (e.g., Gemini via personal Gmail, NotebookLM attached to personal Gmail, ChatGPT, or Perplexity without the Perplexity Health piece) is only as secure as your cloud data/passwords/and more.

Final Verdict: Research vs. Management

Perplexity Health is charging a premium ($20/month) for a Beta product that requires the patient to act as a manual data entry clerk. It is for people who want to research a disease.

Guava Health is for people who have to manage one. Guava Health Premium is only $8 per month. And if your provider has a Guava Health Provider Dashboard and invites you to it, IT IS free for you. Guava Health also offers a free version to patients.

• Use Perplexity if: You want a search engine for medical trends. (Maybe? But I still haven’t tested this out as much as I need to. I tend to use Google Scholar.)
• Use Guava if: You need to manage medications, prepare questions for medical visits, quickly access provider notes, see overviews of your biomarkers, store your imaging, and have your data work for you in the real world.

COMING SOON:

• How to get a copy of your evidence (certificate) of coverage
• The Disability & Tax Guide: A step-by-step on using your medical data to navigate these two data heavy tasks.
• The Provider Portal: How Guava helps your doctors help you.
• Guava Tags: How I use custom tagging to find patterns in flares.

If you have questions about Guava Health, post them here!

Visit the Platforms

• Guava Health
• Perplexity Health Hub

Identification Note: Logos used for nominative fair use for critical review. Stephanie Nixon, PhD, CCC-SLP serves on the Guava Patient Advisory Panel pro bono. Review based on the April 2026 Beta of Perplexity Health.

• Research vs. Reality: Why Perplexity Health Fails Chronic Patients Where Guava Health Thrives
• When Your Insurance Company Suggests Medical Impossibilities
• When the board flips: Paddle boarding through choppy waters
• Don’t Lose Track of Health Insurance Calls: A free tool for patients and families
• “Patient’s Log”: Track your Insurance Calls Like a Provider (In 60 seconds)

Disclaimers

• The following post is based entirely on my personal experience navigating the DC Government CareFirst BluePreferred PPO Plan and its Pharmacy Benefit Manager, CVS Caremark.
• I am a healthcare professional and a patient, not an attorney or an insurance broker. This is NOT legal or financial advice. While I make no guarantees about the results of using these methods, my goal is to share my knowledge, documentation strategies, and experiences so you can better advocate for your own health.
• This post is a direct follow-up to my previous guide on auditing your Explanation of Benefits (EOBs).
• Any information from conversations with CVS Caremark or CareFirst comes from my notes taken during the calls in my ‘patient’s log’ as described in my blog. These notes were taken contemporaneously to ensure an accurate, time-stamped record of the instructions provided to me. All references to contractual rights are drawn directly from the governing CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO Evidence of Coverage Document.
• Specific to the Certificate of Coverage (Evidence of Coverage), a CareFirst employee provided it to me when I was unable to obtain a copy from DCHR. If there is mismatch between the version I have and the version with DCHR, well that’s for another post. (Stay tuned.)
• Please note: I currently have a formal grievance regarding this matter under active review with the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities & Banking (DISB; DCID#: 2065134). I have also contacted the DC City Council and Mayor’s office. All regulatory violations discussed below are alleged based on my documentation, and I will provide an update once I receive a final disposition.

The Tech Black Hole: Where Prior Authorizations Go To Die

If your doctor tells you they are waiting on your insurance, and your insurance tells you they are waiting on your doctor, someone is lying. Actually, it’s probably the software.

I tracked a pattern across five medical specialties (including neurology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, and my PCP). Providers were submitting prior authorizations through a vendor portal called CoverMyMeds. The system would tell the pharmacy the request was “sent,” but the providers never received the questionnaires. After 48 to 72 hours, the system automatically closed the files for “no response”.

This is a de facto denial of benefits without clinical review, likely caused by a software defect. I realized something was off in December 2025 when I was still with Aetna, but I thought it might just be the facility.

When providers had the same trouble in January 2026 with the same result, I realized that didn’t fit. It seemed more “systemic”, and the only commonality across these situations was that the prior authorizations were being submitted through CoverMyMeds. When speaking with a CVS Caremark Sr Rep in February, I was told that providers and patients had been expressing the same frustration I just noted. Additionally, you can see more here in the reviews.

(DISCLAIMER: This is an observation based on a pattern of incomplete PAs for the same reasons and the reactions of providers who all indicated the same issue: They never received requests for the information.)

Clinical Absurdity and Medical Impossibility

What do you do when a senior representative at your Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) suggests you ask your provider to give a 30-day prescription for a 90-day quantity of a medication?

I’ve been taking the same dose of a brand-name maintenance medication for over 20 years. Recently, my PBM, CVS Caremark, approved my brand medically necessary PA (2/27/2026) but restricted the system to only dispense a 34-day supply. (This changed to 30-days less than 12 days later.)

What followed was a masterclass in administrative gaslighting:

• Excuse 1: First, they told me I just needed my provider to file a ‘maintenance exception’.
• Excuse 2: Then, they told my provider that an exception didn’t actually exist. When I called CVS Caremark, a Senior Representative blamed the manufacturer, claiming they restrict the medication to 30 days. I addressed this odd statement as there is nothing on the manufacture’s website or the web indicating the recommendation was accurate*.
  • The “Solution”: Finally, the Senior Representative spoke with the Prior Authorization team again. Their solution? Have my provider submit a prescription for 180 Celebrex 200 mg capsules to be taken over 30 days.

* Note. That is 6 pills a day of a medication where the FDA safe limit is two. Also, while on hold on that date, I emailed the manufacturer, Viatris, and received the response below:

I was stunned. I pointed out that this sounded like “creative pharmaceutical benefits”—otherwise known as insurance fraud. The representative laughed.

I didn’t know what to say as I got off the phone.

I spoke with my amazing Health Advocate and PCP, and then dug into my hundred-page policy myself. 

I found Section 10(a)(4), which explicitly allows a medication like mine to be classified under a “Maintenance Medical Exception” for a 90-day fill. So I’m unsure what rules the senior representative was looking at, but they definitely did not match the rulebook the CVS Caremark Resolutions Specialist saw on 2/27/2026.

So, I filed a complaint with DISB

DISB is the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking.

Since that date, I have contacted DC City Council and Mayor Muriel Bowser via email. There are more issues than just the above, but I will explain how I did this in another post.

As of 4/10/2026

After an almost 1-hour call with CVS Caremark on 4/10/2026, a Senior Representative informed me that she could see the maintenance medication exception in my plan documents. At the end of the call, she said that the issue needed to be sent to “account management” and that such issues are often corrected after 5 business days.

I have not heard anything as of 4/18/2026.

The Patient’s Playbook: Protect Yourself

Insurance companies rely on your exhaustion. You must document everything and demand your legal rights.

• Track Every Call: Stop scribbling on scrap paper. Use the free Google Form I created—my “Patient’s Log”—to track the date, time, representative name, and action items of every call. Evidence is the only thing that wins appeals.
• Check Your EOBs: If you are on a PPO and see a sudden deductible applied to standard pharmacy claims, call your insurer, demand an “Accumulator Adjustment,” and report a “Plan Design Error.”

Never take a verbal denial at face value. You must read the actual rules in your Certificate of Coverage (COC) to catch their lies—just like a Resolutions Specialist pointed out the ‘Maintenance Medical Exception’ in my contract leading me to push a Senior Representative at CareFirst about the frustration I had actually…getting one. (i.e., I couldn’t.)

The Golden Rule: Get Your Certificate of Coverage (COC)

Patients and Providers: Never take a verbal denial at face value. Demand the policy in writing, contact the manufacturer if they are blamed, and report “creative pharmaceutical benefits” to your state insurance administration immediately 

To do this, you must get a copy of your Certificate of Coverage (COC). This is the governing rulebook—usually over 100 pages—not the short “Summary of Benefits.”

Under federal disclosure standards (specifically ERISA), if you submit a written request to your plan administrator for your governing plan documents, they are legally required to provide them to you within 30 days. Failure to comply with this federal disclosure window can carry potential statutory penalties of up to $110 per day.

Stay tuned—because simply obtaining my COC from the DC Government (DCHR) has been an entirely separate battle. I have a copy, but not via DCHR, despite repeated requests.

🗣️ Please share this post and tag @MayorBowser, @CMCHenderson, and the DC City Council Committee on Business and Economic Development. We need proactive DISB market conduct audits, not just individual complaint responses.

Trademarks and Fair Use Notice: All company names, logos, and trademarks—including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, CVS Caremark, Viatris, and any brand-name prescription drugs (such as Celebrex)—are the property of their respective owners. Their inclusion in this post and associated images is for educational, informational, and advocacy purposes only and does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.

Copyright © 2026 Nixon Speech and Language, All Rights Reserved.

• Research vs. Reality: Why Perplexity Health Fails Chronic Patients Where Guava Health Thrives
• When Your Insurance Company Suggests Medical Impossibilities
• When the board flips: Paddle boarding through choppy waters
• Don’t Lose Track of Health Insurance Calls: A free tool for patients and families
• “Patient’s Log”: Track your Insurance Calls Like a Provider (In 60 seconds)

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🚨 TL;DR: The “Paddle Boarder’s Guide to Surviving the Medical System”

• The Problem: For neurodivergent and chronically ill people, a change in medical plans (like a surgery delay) isn’t just an “inconvenience.” It is an enormous, destabilizing wave that threatens to knock us completely into the water.
• The Metaphor: Most people navigate medical uncertainty on a stable cruise ship. They feel the waves but stay dry. We are on a stand-up paddle board. We require constant, exhaustive internal effort to balance on perfectly calm water. When the system changes, a “ripple” to the cruise ship becomes a catastrophic “tsunami” for us.
• The Fatigue: We are exhausted not because we are “weak,” but because we are spending all our energy on a silent, Invisible Brace. Every admin call, sensory input, and physical pain is a wave hitting our wobbly board.
• The “Flip”: When we have a meltdown, shutdown, or cancel plans, the “board has flipped.” This isn’t a failure; it’s a necessary, protective reset. We need to “sink” for a minute to stop the adrenaline of trying not to fall.
• How to Help: Don’t tell us to “be flexible.” Help us stabilize. Be the solid object we can hold onto. Take over the phone calls and give us the grace to be “underwater” until the sea calms down.

How many of us have heard these words, “Be more flexible”? I didn’t realize that meant my surgery date would be doing yoga while I’m just trying to stay upright. Between the rogue waves of kidney stones and the sinking weight of low ferritin, my medical calendar has become a series of “maybe next weeks” for my lumbar fusion.

To most people, a schedule shift is an inconvenience—a slight tilt on the deck of a cruise ship. But for the neurodivergent and chronically ill, stability isn’t a given; it’s a manually operated system. We aren’t on the cruise ship. We are on a stand-up paddle board in the middle of a high-traffic wake. Each appointment that changes often means changing another appointment, changing a leave request, and navigating yet another unknown.

When the world tells us to “go with the flow,” they don’t see the Invisible Brace. They don’t see the constant, microscopic mental and physical adjustments we make just to keep our heads above the spray. In a medical system that moves like a speedboat, being “flexible” isn’t a personality trait—it’s an expensive, exhausting executive function tax that may eventually lead to our board flipping.

And sometimes, flipping the board is the only way to finally find some peace.

The First Wave

It started with a constant wave pushing my side. A kidney stone—the first rogue wave in a storm I didn’t see coming. Then came the low ferritin, the overwhelming fatigue, and the sudden, sickening realization that my carefully constructed medical plan was no longer a plan; it was a loose suggestion.

In the midst of this chaos, I kept receiving I felt like I just needed to be remain flexible.

But that is a lot to manage: Flexibility is a great trait for a gymnast, but it’s a terrifying requirement for a medical plan. Here is the reality of my recent experience:

The Paddle Board vs. The Cruise Ship

To understand why “going with the flow” is so utterly exhausting for neurodivergent and chronically ill people, you have to understand the difference in our vessels.

Most people experience medical delays or schedule shifts like they are on a massive cruise ship. The floor might tilt, the waves might get choppy, and it’s certainly annoying, but the hull is thick enough to absorb the impact. They stay dry. They stay standing.

But when you are neurodivergent—craving predictability to manage sensory and cognitive loads—or living with chronic illness, you aren’t on a cruise ship. You are on a stand-up paddle board.

Even when the water is perfectly flat, we are already expending significant executive function and physical energy just to maintain balance. Every sensory input, every social interaction, and every administrative task requires a micro-adjustment of our internal stabilization systems.

When the medical boat (the scheduling office, the specialist, the test results) suddenly changes course, it creates a massive wake. For the cruise ship, it’s just more water. For the paddle boarder, it is a catastrophic side-chop that we were not braced for. Telling ourselves to “just stand up” when we have been knocked horizontal by the wake is a misunderstanding of physics.

The Invisible Brace: Taking on Water

If it’s not the main wake from the medical boat, it’s the debris. Being neurodivergent in a medical shift (or even change in what to do next) feels like you are paddling through a constant, exhausting stream of waves you cannot anticipate.

While we are trying to keep our balance, the environment is constantly throwing more waves at us, demanding more “flexibility”:

• The Rogue Wave (The Admin Avalanche): Having to make immediate phone calls to rearrange transportation, update employers, or coordinate with multiple specialists, all while processing bad news.
• The Side-Chop (Sensory & Cognitive Overload): Navigating an insurance company’s phone menu or reading complex medical instructions while in physical pain and brain fog.
• The Undertow (Sensory Dread): Mentally bracing for the specific sensory inputs of an impending procedure, only to have that dread extended indefinitely when the date moves.

This is Tether Fatigue. We are exhausted not because we are “difficult,” but because we have been in a permanent, tense, Invisible Brace for weeks, absorbing the kinetic energy of every ripple. Our energy reserves are fully bankrupted by the sheer volume of waves we’ve had to process just to avoid falling in.

The Grace of the Capsized Board

There comes a point where the balance is lost. The board flips. The paddle boarder goes under. To an observer, this looks like a crisis, a meltdown, or “giving up.”

But here is the secret that the neurotypical world needs to understand: Sometimes, we need to let the board flip.

When we hit the water, the Invisible Brace is finally over. We stop fighting the waves. We stop trying to anticipate the next administrative side-chop. For a moment, there is just the quiet, cold weight of the water.

We aren’t failing to cope; we are allowing the system to reboot because the cost of staying upright on a wobbly board hit by a tsunami has fully bankrupted our energy reserves. We need that “sink time” to stop the adrenaline and let our nervous systems reset before we can even think about climbing back onto the board.

How to Be an Anchor

If someone you love is neurodivergent or chronically ill and their “ship” has just flipped, don’t stand on the shore and yell at them to swim harder. Help them stabilize the water.

1. Reduce the “Administrative Friction”: When the plan changes, the “to-do” list explodes, requiring executive function we don’t have.
   • Don’t say: “Let me know if you need anything.”
   • Do say: “I am standing by a phone. Give me your permission, and I will handle the rescheduling calls today so you don’t have to explain your situation five more times.”
2. Validate the Physics, Not the Feeling: Don’t gaslight us with positivity. Acknowledge the environment.
   • Don’t say: “Just keep rowing! Be resilient!”
   • Do say: “The water is incredibly choppy right now. It makes total sense that you fell. I’m right here when you’re ready to try again.”
3. Grant the Grace to Sink: Let us stay underwater for a minute. We need that silence to recalibrate before we have the strength to climb back onto the wobbly board.

Examples of Stabilization in Action

Example A: Dear Medical Provider (The View from the Paddle Board)

“When you tell me a surgery is delayed or a result requires a pivot, you might see it as a minor scheduling shift. For my neurodivergent brain and my chronically ill body, it is a tsunami hitting a stationary paddle board. Please help me stay above water:

• Reduce the Administrative Friction: Don’t make me the middleman between specialists. Coordinate the update with my other providers so I don’t have to spend my limited energy repeating my trauma five times.
• Give Me a Fixed Point: Tell me exactly what the next step is. Ambiguity is a wave I cannot balance on.

Example B: Dear Friend (When My Board Flips)

“Right now, the floor is shaking. I am exhausted from trying to ‘stay upright’ on a board that feels every single ripple. When you see me overwhelmed, please know that I’m not being difficult—I’m bankrupt from navigating a constant stream of administrative and sensory cross-currents. Here is how to be my anchor:

• Don’t Ask, Just Do: Telling me ‘I’m bringing over safe food at 6:00 PM’ is infinitely more helpful than ‘Let me know what you need.’
• Let Me Sink: If I cancel, don’t take it personally. My board has flipped, and I promise I’ll climb back on when the sea calms down.”

Flexibility isn’t a personality trait; it’s an expensive resource. For the neurodivergent and chronically ill, “going with the flow” often means fighting the current just to avoid drowning. Sometimes, the best way to help us is to just let us float until the sea is still again.

Note about the art:

To capture the “layered” nature of neurodivergent life, I used a collaborative AI process to create the visuals for this post. I worked with Adobe Firefly to generate the base “paper-cut” style and used Gemini as an “Art Director” to refine the metaphors—ensuring the “administrative debris” and the “underwater reset” felt as visceral as the words themselves.

Have you ever spent hours on a call with a provider or insurance company and then when you call back you’re told they have no record of the call? If so, you know how exhausting self-advocacy can be.

Managing healthcare for yourself or your family shouldn’t require a law degree, but keeping a detailed “paper trail” is one of the most important things you can do when disputing a bill, fighting for a prior authorization, or coordinating care.

As a patient and provider, I know that advocating for care and coverage is hard enough. So I am sharing a tool I made for me and my husband in January 2026: A Healthcare and Insurance Communication Log. (See my last post for more information.)

This tool was made primarily for dealing with health insurance (including our pharmacy benefit manager).

What is it?

A simple, customizable Google Form that you can fill out on your phone or computer during or immediately after a phone call. Use it to track:

• Date and time of the conversation
• Who you spoke to
• What you discussed
• What your next steps (and their next steps) are
• And more…

You can quickly reference the key information needed from previous calls by looking at the entries in the form: (e.g., name of who you spoke with, company they are with, and date/time of the last communication, what was said, etc.).

A Quick Word on Privacy: Share the Tool, Not Your Data

If you find this call log helpful, we absolutely want you to share it with your friends, neighbors, or online support groups! However, it is crucial that you share the tool safely.

Because your copied Google Form is tied directly to your personal Google account and your private spreadsheet, sharing your specific form link outside of your immediate family (more specifically those involved in your healthcare and health insurance decisions).

If you send someone your personal link to copy for their own use, you will accidentally give them access to your Protected Health Information (PHI) and private medical notes.

The safe way to share:

The safe way to share: If you want to recommend this tool to someone else, do not share your Google Form link. Instead, simply copy the web address (URL) of this blog post and send that to them! This ensures they can read the instructions and download their own clean, private template that is completely separate from your data.

Disclaimer:

The Short Version: (Simply put)

• This is just a helpful tool: This tracker is a free organizational aid, not official medical or legal advice, and downloading it does not make you a patient of Nixon Speech and Language.
• This tool does not set reminders for you.
• You are in charge of your data: The information you type goes straight into your personal Google account, not ours. You are responsible for keeping your own account and passwords secure.
• Be mindful of privacy: Free Google accounts are not strictly protected by HIPAA (healthcare privacy laws). Please be careful about typing highly sensitive information (like Social Security numbers) into the form, and make sure you track strict insurance deadlines on your main calendar, too.
• Share the tool, not your data. Share the link to the blog to help your friends, not your own form.

Longer version

Please read before downloading: This form is a self-help organizational tool provided courtesy of Nixon Speech and Language, LLC. It is not a medical device, a legal record, and does not constitute professional medical or legal advice, nor does it establish a provider-patient relationship. Do not rely solely on this form for critical deadlines. By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

How to set it up

• Make your copy: Click the link at the bottom of this post and select “Make a copy.”
• Customize your form: Open your new form and edit the placeholder text.
  • Change the “Who was the call about?” question to list your specific family members.
  • Update the “Which organization did you contact?” question to list your main contacts (e.g., Blue Cross, Aetna, CVS Caremark).
• Publish the form. Be sure to copy the link after publishing for your use.

• Save it for easy access:
  • Fillable form: Bookmark the link to your fillable form on your computer (in Google Drive), or save it to your phone’s home screen so you can have it ready to complete during your next call.
  • Bookmark the file used to create the fillable form: This is where you’ll find all your call logs. You can print (or PDF) specific responses or export all responses to sheets.

• Be sure to hit submit when you finish the call. If you don’t, your call log won’t save.

💡 Pro-Tip: Make it a Household Effort!

If you share healthcare duties with a spouse, partner, or adult child, you can use this single form to track everyone’s calls in one central place!

Once you have copied the form to your Google Drive and customized your family’s names, simply click the purple “Send” button at the top right of the screen. You can email the link directly to your partner, or copy the link and text it to them.

Have them save that link to their phone’s home screen. Now, whether it’s you calling the PBM about a prescription or your spouse calling the provider about a bill, all of your notes will feed into the exact same spreadsheet. No more asking, “Wait, what did the insurance rep tell you yesterday?”

The following applies only to those you want to share access to protected health information: If they need to be able to reference all calls for your household/family, be sure to share the backstage link AND fillable form.

📱 Make It an “App” on Your Phone

The easiest way to use this log is to save it directly to your phone’s home screen. That way, you don’t have to dig through your Google Drive every time you make a call.

First, get your fillable link: Open your form on your computer, click the purple “Send” button at the top right, click the link icon (the little chain), and copy that link. Email or text that link to your phone, then follow these steps:

For iPhone (Safari):

1. Open the link on your phone using the Safari browser.
2. Tap the Share icon at the very bottom of the screen (it looks like a square with an arrow pointing up).
3. Scroll down the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
4. Type a short name for it (like “Insurance Log”) and tap Add in the top right corner.

For Android (Chrome):

1. Open the link on your phone using the Google Chrome browser.
2. Tap the Menu icon in the top right corner (the three vertical dots).
3. Scroll down and tap Add to Home screen.
4. Type a short name for it (like “Insurance Log”) and tap Add.

Now you will have a shiny new icon on your phone right next to your other apps. Just tap it whenever you are on a call!

📂 How to View Your Call History (The form and spreadsheet)

Think of your Google Form like a restaurant. The shortcut you saved to your phone is the “Front Door”—it’s just the menu where you place your new order. To see the history of every call you have ever logged, you have to go “Backstage” into your Google Drive.

Here is how to find your notes:

1. Go to your Google Drive: On a computer, go to drive.google.com and log in with the exact same Google account you used to copy the template.
2. Open the “Backstage” File: Find your saved form (e.g., “Healthcare Communication Log”) and double-click to open it. This opens the Editor view.
3. Click the Responses Tab: At the very top center of the screen, click the word Responses (it is right next to “Questions”).
4. Create Your Master Spreadsheet: For the best view, look for the little green icon that says “Link to Sheets” (or “View in Sheets”) near the top right of the Responses section.

Clicking that green button will instantly generate a clean, organized Google Spreadsheet containing every single detail of every call you have ever submitted.

📄 Need Hard Proof? How to Save a Call as a PDF

If you are filing a formal appeal or need to prove exactly how many times you contacted your insurance company about a specific issue, you can export individual call logs as clean, printable PDF documents.

Here is how to do it:

1. Go “Backstage” into your form and click the Responses tab.
2. Instead of looking at the spreadsheet, click the Individual tab (located right next to “Summary” and “Question”).
3. You will see your form filled out exactly as you submitted it. Use the < and > arrows to flip through your history until you find the specific call you need.
4. Click the Printer icon at the top right corner of that specific response.
5. When your computer’s print menu pops up, change the “Destination” or “Printer” from your physical home printer to Save as PDF.

Now you have a professional, timestamped document you can attach directly to an appeal letter or an email to your provider!

Get the template

Ready to get organized? Click below to copy the template to your Google Drive:

Please read before downloading: This form is a self-help organizational tool provided courtesy of Nixon Speech and Language, LLC. It is not a medical device, a legal record, and does not constitute professional medical or legal advice, nor does it establish a provider-patient relationship. Do not rely solely on this form for critical deadlines. By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

Remember, share the post, not your data.

By clicking here you acknowledge that you have reviewed the disclaimer.

Information provided in this post by, Stephanie M. Nixon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is provided in good faith. Nixon Speech and Language, LLC makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information.

Stop scribbling on scrap paper. Here is the exact system I use to hold insurance companies accountable (and keep track of what has been said).

In my last post, I talked about the importance of documenting every single interaction with your insurance company. But let’s be honest: when you are managing a chronic illness, working, or just living life, finding a notebook and a working pen while on hold is just one more hurdle.

My husband and I realized early on that we needed a system that was fast, shared, and impossible to lose.

Our solution? A simple Google Form.

It lives as an icon on our phone home screens. When we get on a call, we tap it, fill in the blanks while we talk, and hit submit. It automatically saves everything into a spreadsheet that we can search later.

Why This Works Better Than a Notebook

1. It Prompts You: You never forget to ask “Who am I speaking with?” because the form requires you to type it in.
2. It’s Collaborative: If my husband takes a call, I can see the notes instantly on my computer. No more “Did you call them?” arguments.
3. It Creates a Timeline: When you need to file a grievance (like I did), you just open the spreadsheet and copy-paste the entire history.

The Fields You Need (Steal My Form)

I created a free Google Form with these specific questions. You can copy this exact structure:

• Patient calling about: (Checkbox: … Names of those in the household, etc.)
• Date called: (Date picker)
• Who contacted? (Checkboxes: Benefits, Care Management, CVS Caremark, HR, etc.)
• Method of contact: (Checkboxes: Phone, Email, Secure Message)
• Did I record the call? (Yes/No – Check your local laws as many areas require you to ask permission to record.)
  • My Script: “I need to record this call so I have a record of what to do next. Do I have your permission to record?” Note. Be sure to note this to any new call participants.
  • Note: If they say “No,” I immediately ask: “Since you are recording this for quality assurance, can I request a copy of that recording for my records?” (This usually changes the tone of the conversation!)
• Name of representative: (Crucial! Always ask for this first)
• Reason for call: (e.g., Prior Authorization, Billing Error, Benefits Question)
• Summary of call: (What did they say? What did you say?)
• How long were you on the call? (This is important evidence for complaints)
• Action items: (What did the representative promise to do? What do you need to do?)
• Follow-up date: (When should you check back?)

How to Set It Up

1. Go to forms.google.com and click “Blank Form.”
2. Add the questions listed above.
3. Click “Send,” copy the link, and email it to yourself and your spouse/caregiver.
4. Pro Tip: Open the link on your phone, tap “Share” (iOS) or the menu dots (Android), and select “Add to Home Screen.” Now it looks and acts just like an app.

The Result

When my pharmacy billing nightmare happened, I didn’t have to rely on my foggy memory. I opened my spreadsheet and saw exactly who disconnected on me on January 29th, and exactly what “Curtis” told me on February 6th.

That data wasn’t just notes; it was evidence. And evidence is the only thing that wins insurance appeals.

Disclaimer: I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and person with chronic illness, not an insurance broker or attorney. This post shares my personal experience and is not intended as legal or financial advice.

• Research vs. Reality: Why Perplexity Health Fails Chronic Patients Where Guava Health Thrives
• When Your Insurance Company Suggests Medical Impossibilities
• When the board flips: Paddle boarding through choppy waters
• Don’t Lose Track of Health Insurance Calls: A free tool for patients and families
• “Patient’s Log”: Track your Insurance Calls Like a Provider (In 60 seconds)

A real-life lesson in why you must audit your Explanation of Benefits.

We often assume that when the pharmacist rings up a total, or when a medical bill arrives in the mail, the number is correct. We assume the insurance computer “knows” our plan.

But we also know that the insurance computer (and even the claims processors) have a history of applying the plan incorrectly (or inconsistently).

In January I had accepted that the “computer” knew our new plan for our prescriptions —and it nearly cost my family over $1,300 in a single month.

From Advocate to Patient

For years, I essentially worked two jobs. By day, I was a Speech-Language Pathologist working full-time. By night, I often spent three hours at a time, multiple nights a week, on the phone with insurance companies fighting for my own coverage. I learned early on that whether you are an educator advocating for a student, provider advocating for a patient, or a patient advocating for yourself, the system will often default to “No” unless you prove otherwise.

Now, living with chronic illness and on long-term disability, I no longer have that kind of energy to spare. My “work” today is largely just managing my own health. So when a computer glitch recently caused our pharmacy bills to skyrocket, it wasn’t just a financial error—it was a drain on the limited energy I have to survive.

I’m sharing this story not just as a professional who knows the paperwork, but as a patient who knows the exhaustion. I want to help you catch these errors quickly so you don’t have to spend your evenings fighting for the coverage you’ve already paid for.

The “Glitch”: When the Math Doesn’t Math

The “Glitch”: When the Math Doesn’t Math The situation started simply enough: My husband went to pick up a routine prescription. Instead of his usual $60 copay, he was charged $807.

The explanation from the pharmacy? “You haven’t met your deductible yet.”

That sounded plausible. It was January, the start of a new plan year. But when I logged into my portal, I saw something even stranger.

I had paid over $1,000 for medications in January, but my “Deductible Met” counter was sitting at $0.

Where did the money go? The system had bypassed the deductible entirely and applied the cash directly to my “Max Out-of-Pocket” limit.

• The Error: They were charging me full price (as if I had a deductible), but refusing to credit my deductible bucket.
• The Result: I was on track to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket without ever technically “meeting” my deductible. It was a phantom charge that left me with the worst of both worlds: high costs and no progress toward my coverage limits.

The Domino Effect: Why You Can’t Just “Let It Slide”

You might be tempted to just pay the overcharge to avoid the hassle. I understand that urge completely. But here is the trap: Insurance systems use something called an “accumulator.” It tracks how much you’ve paid toward your deductible.

If you pay a deductible that you don’t actually owe, the system “learns” the wrong information. Later, when you see a doctor or go to the hospital, their claims might get stuck or rejected because the math doesn’t add up. By fixing this one pharmacy error, I wasn’t just saving money on a prescription—I was unblocking thousands of dollars in medical claims that were stalled in the system.

Red Flags: How to Spot an Error

Unfortunately, we had already paid for the medications. Although the error was corrected in the “Carefirst” and Caremark.com com systems as of February 2, 2026 (excepting my order receipts), we did not receive a refund or even notification that a refund was due.

In fact, after speaking with several representatives this week it seems the “correction” was backdated; however, neither Caremark nor the local pharmacy where we bough a medication were told we were owed refunds. Our local pharmacy credited us the money for their end, now I am trying to get a refund from Caremark.

Here is how to know if you should question a charge:

1. The “Deductible” Surprise: If you have a PPO or HMO, your prescriptions usually have flat copays (e.g., $15, $30, $60) that apply immediately. If you see the word “Deductible” on a pharmacy receipt, check your plan design.
2. The “Phantom Payment”: Check your insurance portal after a big purchase. If you paid $500 at the pharmacy, your “Deductible Remaining” should drop by $500. If the money disappears into the ether (or only hits your “Out-of-Pocket Max”), the system is miscoded.
3. The “Processing” Limbo: If your medical claims (doctor visits) are sitting in “Processing” for weeks, it often means the medical system is waiting for the pharmacy system to send data that—thanks to this glitch—will never arrive.

Strategy: Write First, Call Second

The Reality: Phone calls are exhausting. But sometimes, secure messages result in frustrating, boilerplate responses that don’t answer your question. (I received a generic reply about “brand name drugs” that had nothing to do with my actual billing error!)

My advice: Even if you know you’ll have to call, send a Secure Message first.

1. It creates a legal timestamp. Even if their reply is useless, you have proof that you reported the error on “Date X.” They can no longer say, “We have no record of that issue.”
2. It forces a written response. When you finally do get a human on the phone, you can cut the small talk: “Please open Case #12345. I have already submitted the details in writing.”
3. It respects your energy. If you have to file a formal legal grievance later, showing that they ignored your clear written explanation makes your case much stronger.

Pro-Tip: Document Like a Clinician

When you are dealing with brain fog or fatigue, relying on memory is risky. I treat every insurance interaction like a patient case note.

• Log Everything: Date, Time, and the Representative’s Name.
• Ask for the Reference Number: Every call has a “Case ID.” Ask for it immediately.
• The “30-Day” Clock: If they say they will “review it,” mark your calendar for exactly 30 days later. If they haven’t fixed it, they may owe you interest.
• See my post on creating a “patient’s log” that may help you track who said/did what (and when)

The Magic Words to Use

If you do have to speak to someone, use these terms to get past the front-line script:

• “Plan Design Error”: This tells them the computer is set up wrong for your specific group.
• “Adjudication Breakdown”: This asks for the math behind the price (e.g., how much was copay vs. deductible).
• “Accumulator Adjustment”: This asks them to fix your deductible history so future claims process correctly.
• “Senior team”: If you have already worked with the senior team on your issue, then explain the time it has taken and ask for the appropriate representative

The Takeaway

It took weeks of persistence, but we finally got a break. A representative worked with our local pharmacy on one claim and we were refunded for the discrepancy that was initially erroneously classified “deductible” ($747 of the $807.07 prescription cost). The call was disconnected before he could let me know how he was managing the issue with the Caremark pharmacy payments, but we have the proof we need to win.

I spent years advocating for others. Now, I’m learning that the most important advocacy is often the kind we do for ourselves—quietly, methodically, and with the receipts to prove it.

Disclaimer: I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and educational consultant, not an insurance broker or attorney. This post shares my personal experience and is not intended as legal or financial advice. Always consult your specific plan documents for coverage details.

Access and advocacy add an emoji andoid childhood apraxia of speech chronic illness claims processing communication log deductible Department of Education doge Dyslexia dyslexia emoji dyslexia symbol education errors processing claims google Guava Health Health apps health insurance health insurance appeals health insurance benefits health insurance mistakes Independent Funding innovation Institute of Education Sciences iOS18 iPhone Kanban Task Tracker learning disabilities managing your health max out of pocket National Institutes of Health neurodivergence NIH Organizer Perplexity Health AI petition pharmacy benefit managers Planner research research design Research Funding speech-language pathology Spoonie life Systematic Research

Organize your tasks visually with this easy-to-use Kanban board!

This tool helps you manage your workflow by moving tasks through “To Do”, “In Progress”, and “Done” columns. It runs directly in your web browser and saves your data locally, making it a simple, private way to stay organized.

Key Features:

• Visual Workflow: Classic Kanban layout with “To Do”, “In Progress”, and “Done” columns.
• Drag & Drop: Easily move tasks between columns using your mouse or touchscreen.

• Custom Categories: Add your own categories (e.g., “Project X”, “Follow Up”, “Home”) to better organize tasks. Predefined categories include “Work”, “Personal”, and “Urgent”.

• Color Coding: Tasks automatically change color based on their column (“To Do”, “In Progress”, “Done”) for quick visual status checks. Category badges also have distinct colors.
• Confetti Fun!: Get a burst of confetti whenever you move a task to the “Done” column. 🎉

• Local Storage: Your tasks and custom categories are saved directly in your browser, so they’ll be there when you reopen the app on the same device and browser.
• Clear Completed Tasks: Easily clear all tasks from the “Done” column with a dedicated button.

How to Download and Use:

• Download:
  • Click the download link provided
  • The license terms (GPLv3) are detailed below and available on the blog post/GNU website.

• Open: Double-click the downloaded .html file. It will open in your default web browser. No internet connection is needed after opening.
• Add Tasks: Type a task description, select a category from the dropdown, and click “Add Task” or press Enter.

• Add Categories: Type a new category name in the “Add New Category” section and click “Add Category”. It will now appear in the dropdown list for tasks.

• Move Tasks: Click and drag (or tap and drag) tasks between the columns.
• Clear Done: Click the “Clear Done” button in the header of the “Done” column to remove all completed tasks.

Important Notes:

• Local Data Storage: Task and category data is saved only in the browser you are currently using on this specific device. It will not sync automatically across different computers, tablets, phones, or even different web browsers (like Chrome vs. Firefox) on the same device.
• Updates: For the latest version of this tool, please check the Nixon Speech and Language Blog or our Discord Community. Follow our blog or social media channels (linked below) for update announcements.

License:

This program is free software distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License Version 3 (GPLv3). Essentially, this license guarantees you the freedom to use, study, share, and improve the software. You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of this license.

Key points to understand:

• Freedom: You are free to use, modify, and share this software.
• Attribution: If you share or redistribute this software (modified or not), you must keep the original copyright notice (© 2025 Nixon Speech and Language, LLC) intact.
• Sharing Changes: If you modify the software and distribute your version, you must also license your modified version under the GPLv3 and make the source code available. You cannot make a modified version proprietary (closed-source).
• Commercial Use: You can charge a fee for distributing copies or offering support/warranty for the software, provided you follow all GPLv3 terms (like providing the source code and keeping it under the GPL).
• NO WARRANTY: This software is provided “AS IS” without any warranty. Nixon Speech and Language, LLC is not liable for any issues or damages arising from the use or modification of this software by others, as detailed in the full license text.
• Brand Protection: The GPL license applies to the code. The Nixon Speech and Language name and logo are trademarks and are not automatically licensed for use by the GPL.

The full terms can be viewed on the GNU GPL website. Please refer to the full text for complete details.

Developed with assistance from Google AI. © 2025 Nixon Speech and Language, LLC

Access and advocacy add an emoji andoid childhood apraxia of speech chronic illness claims processing communication log deductible Department of Education doge Dyslexia dyslexia emoji dyslexia symbol education errors processing claims google Guava Health Health apps health insurance health insurance appeals health insurance benefits health insurance mistakes Independent Funding innovation Institute of Education Sciences iOS18 iPhone Kanban Task Tracker learning disabilities managing your health max out of pocket National Institutes of Health neurodivergence NIH Organizer Perplexity Health AI petition pharmacy benefit managers Planner research research design Research Funding speech-language pathology Spoonie life Systematic Research

See the the GNU GPL website for additional information.

This license applies to the following hosted on our site:

• Nixon Speech and Language, LLC Kanban task tracker © 2025 Nixon Speech and Language, LLC

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What is progress?

Merriam-Webster includes the following in the definitions of progress:

• “a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal) : ADVANCE”
• “a gradual betterment especially: the progressive development of human kind”
• “to move forward: PROCEED”
• “to develop a higher, better, or more advanced stage”

Imagine.

Pause. Imagine that it’s 1990. You are in a wheelchair. You do the same work as your peers, but you get paid less. You can’t go to a movie theater because there aren’t accessible seats.

Do we really want to go back to that?

That was life before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that includes Section 504. Section 504, the section being the one currently being challenged by attorneys general in 17 different states with Texas v. Becerra.

In an essay written in Time on February 19, 2025, Rebekah Taussig wrote:

“In many ways, Section 504 has operated as an almost invisible protection – easy to take for granted. And in doing so, we’ve been able to continue the fiction that disability is something that happens only to others. The undeniable fact is that every one of us will acquire a disability if we live long enough. Disability is an experience we can move in and out of over the course of our lives, and disabled people are the only minority group anyone can become a part of at any moment. Section 504 is not a law for “those people.” …

As with much of U.S. politics right now, Texas v Becerra feels like a reckless attempt to pull us back to a former time. But there is one crucial difference between 1977 and 2025. More than one generation of disabled children has grown up under the protections Section 504 provides us. And while the politicians are still reciting the same script, our revolutionary predecessors gave us a new story. We are a valuable part of our communities, we belong here, and we’ve been shown how to fight.”

Civil Rights Protections aren’t Red Tape

Why do you think civil rights laws such as ADA, the Civil Rights of 1964, and Individuals with Disability Education Act of 1990 (among others) were passed?

It was because people were (and still are, just check Supreme Court Cases) treated differently based on their race, religion, national origin, (dis)ability, gender (and gender identity), and sexual orientation.

Recently, the Trump administration froze the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and changed the board of the EEOC in a manner that has many concerned. These groups are there to protect people’s civil rights against discrimination by employers, schools, businesses, landlords, law enforcement, and more.

If you think that shouldn’t be a concern, just take a look at what Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga) said when asked about school lunches after Trump proposed a federal funding freeze that could affect nutrition support for children: “Before I was even 13 years old, I was picking berries in the field, before child labor laws that precluded that. I was a paperboy and when was I was in high school; I worked my entire way through”.

Use of the phrase “back in my day” to dismiss concerns

Just because something was one way in 1954, doesn’t mean it should continue – particularly when it comes to civil rights.

Disclaimer. This post is not medical or legal advice.

The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It is based on historical research, analysis, and interpretation, which may be subject to varying perspectives and ongoing scholarly debate. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, I do not guarantee its completeness or infallibility. Historical accounts can be complex and nuanced, and my interpretations reflect my understanding of the available sources at the time of writing.

This blog post may also contain personal opinions and reflections on the historical events and figures discussed. These opinions are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of others. They are offered as a basis for discussion and further exploration of the topic.

Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult multiple sources to form their own informed opinions. I am open to respectful discussion and feedback on the content of this blog post, and I acknowledge that historical understanding can evolve over time. Any errors or omissions brought to my attention will be considered and, where appropriate, corrected.

By reading this blog post, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms of this disclaimer.

It isn’t just the “ivory tower”

Many people talk about university researchers as living in the “ivory tower” unaware of the needs of people in society.

I challenge you to pause for about 10 minutes and watch this video courtesy of PBS News to better understand potential long-term impacts of Trump’s cuts to research funding.

(And yes, I know the video is about medical research funding, but the same applies to education. Also, NIH funds more than medication research. They fund research into child development, reading, language, speech production, and so much more.)

Beyond that video, did you know that research grant funds also help pay tuition for students working in those labs? Yes. They can make higher education more affordable.

It’s part of the reason most grad and doctoral students look for labs with funding.

If research funding is decreased, then we may end up with less socioeconomic diversity in higher education due to the cost.

If research funding is decreased, then students who choose to pursue higher education degrees are likely to have higher student debt.

What can you do?

• Contact your representative and senator
• Speak UP! Post on social media!

Disclaimer. Information provided in this post by, Stephanie M. Nixon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is provided in good faith. Nixon Speech and Language, LLC makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information supplied by other sources.

Information provided here is for informational purposes only.