Leda’s Story: How Medicaid helps families thrive

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In this comic, Leda, a mother of two young children, shares how Medicaid and SNAP made a crucial difference in the lives of her family, helping them stay afloat during a rough patch. It’s a familiar situation for many people who need short-term, additional support to thrive in the long-term.

Title of a comic strip "Leda's Story" drawn by Whit Taylor on a pink patterned background
A comic strip panel of Leda, a pregnant woman with light brown hair and glasses, being wheeled in a wheelchair by a hospital worker down a hallway. Her husband looks concerned as he carries two bags. The narrator writes that she was on Medicaid from 2018-2022.
Cartoon of Leda and her husband in an NICU in a hospital, tired but smiling at their baby who is is a protected infant ICU bed. The narrator writes that she had her first kid in 2018, born prematurely and needing a lot of extra support for a while.
Leda holding an infant, smiling as her husband in a coat and backpack waves as he heads out the door. Narration about how she wasn't able to go back to work full-time because freelance jobs were few and far between and weren't paying well. Her husband's job had stagnated, too, so he started law school.
Leda carrying baby in a front pack, pushing a cart in a grocery store. Leda's narration explains that they were on Medicaid and SNAP throughout that financially shaky time. In a speech bubble, she says it was the best insurance she had, then laughs.
Leda wears a mask, holding young child who has a rash on its chest. A masked doctor prepares to give a shot. Narration describes how Medicaid covered primary care, pediatrician visits, dental, and OB-GYN visits while she was pregnant with their second child. She was able to go to the same doctor's office that they go to now.
Leda sitting in an office with a child on her lap, smiling. A man with a mustache, holding a paper, is talking to her and smiling. Leda narrates that she never sensed any judgment or felt like she was treated differently at the doctor while on Medicaid. She was always treated with dignity at the Medicaid Office.
Closeup of the woman with long light brown hair and glasses, smiling. She talks about how she had a lot of misconceptions about Medicaid initially. As the first people in their families to use social welfare programs, she and her husband felt like they were slipping down the ladder, even though they didn't come from wealth.
Leda talks to another parent on a playground filled with children. She narrates that the more she talked to other parents, the more she realized that many used Medicaid.
Leda is pregnant, taking a photo of her husband in a graduation cap and gown. He stoops to pick up a young child. Leda narrates that they got off Medicaid and SNAP one month before their second child was born, when her husband graduated and started working as a lawyer.
Leda smiling, sewing on a sewing machine inside her home. She narrates that she is so thankful Medicaid and SNAP allowed her family to be where they are today.
Leda walking on a forested path with a elementary school aged child, who is smiling and running, and her husband, smiling, who has a smiling young child on his shoulders. She narrates that she worries about other families who are currently in teh same position they were in in 2018. She wants everyone to same opportunity that they did.

Have you been hearing about changes to Medicaid?

Medicaid (called Apple Health in Washington) is still here, and you can still get enrolled. Most changes you’ve heard about won’t happen until the end of 2026 or later, and don’t apply to all types of Medicaid.  If you live in King County, Public Health – Seattle & King County has a team of experts to answer questions and assist you by phone, email or in-person. kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/health-centers-programs-services/health-insurance

About this comic

Thank you to Leda for sharing her story. This comic was developed and illustrated by Whit Taylor, an award-winning cartoonist, editor, and health educator from New Jersey. Her comics have been published by The New Yorker, The Nib, and others. Taylor and Joyce Rice’s public health history graphic novel, The Greater Good, will be published in 2026.

“Leda’s Story” is one of a series of comics commemorating over ten years of Seattle/King County Clinic, an annual event that offers free medical, dental, and vision care. With the Seattle Center Foundation, we collaborated with a team of comics artists to tell stories about the challenges that everyday people have with getting the healthcare they need. We hope that the stories will spark conversations about what can be done to close these gaps and make the need for the Seattle/King County Clinic obsolete.

Seattle/King County Clinic will held April 23-26 in 2026. More information for patients and volunteers: seattlecenter.org/skcclinic

Read other comics in this series:

Three Buckets: A comic about barriers to people on Medicaid – PUBLIC HEALTH INSIDER

Health + Care: a comic strip salutes 10 years of Seattle/King County Clinic – PUBLIC HEALTH INSIDER

Originally posted on March 20,2026.

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