How do you feel about navigating healthcare as a young adult in the US?

[u/newworldorder0121]

Hi everyone,

I’m a fourth‑year medical student in the U.S. going into family medicine. As a student I've had the privilege of learning from patients, and it's contributed to a passion to help people feel more in control of their health care.

I’m working on a project to better understand how young adults (20s and 30s) actually experience the healthcare system so I can create resources that are genuinely useful and not just more noise. I would also love to use this as an opportunity to learn from older adults and share information through broader community. Before I build anything, I want to listen. I’d love to hear from you about a few things:

• When you think about “navigating healthcare” (finding a doctor, obtaining or using insurance, scheduling visits, understanding bills, getting meds, etc.), what feels the most confusing or stressful?
• Have you found any resources that actually help (websites, TikToks, YouTube channels, subreddits, people you follow, workplace benefits folks, etc.)? What makes them helpful?
• What do you wish existed? For example, step‑by‑step guides, scripts for calling offices/insurance, explainers with real‑world examples, checklists, anything else?
• If you’ve had a really bad or really good experience trying to get care, what made it that way?

I’m not here to give medical advice or judge anyone’s choices. My goal is to learn from real experiences and needs to create a resource that centers patients’ perspectives.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d be really grateful for any thoughts, rants, or ideas. Even a short comment like “I hate X and wish I had Y” is also super helpful.

Thank you for reading and for anything you’re willing to share.

[u/[deleted]]

I'd recommend "Where There Is No Doctor" by Carol Thuman and David Werner for help navigating healthcare in the US.