Ashley Dolan
Ashley Dolan
By Alice Kuder
Ashley Dolan is a 44 year-old Jewish woman, wife, and mother of four residing in Burien. Her son, Liam,
is autistic. Under the currently proposed legislation, she would be required to register Liam as such with
the Federal Government.
How and why Ashley Dolan is committed to resisting the policies of the Trump Administration.
Four-year-old Liam was born with Down’s Syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. Needless to say, the
first year of his life was medically complicated, which started Ashley on the road to dealing with private
insurance companies and Medicaid. Liam has been approved through Medicaid for 1,604 hours of
medically-necessary behavioral therapy, which he has already started. Recently, the insurance company
notified Ashley that the claim has been denied; they will not pay for the treatment. This leaves Ashley in
financial limbo; she may, or may not, be held responsible for paying for the therapy Liam has already
received. It may also mean that Liam will no longer be able to receive the care he needs. Ashley spends
endless hours on the phone attempting to reach people who can either give her answers, or help her
navigate the maze that will help her find them.
On another front, backlashes against DEI policies in public schools threaten Liam’s educational
opportunities. These are just two of the many reasons that Ashley feels compelled to fight against
Republican leadership schemes. Her best weapon, she believes, is to get out and interact with her
neighbors. Her focus is on meeting as many people as she can, mostly by attending relevant meetings,
such as the school board, and volunteering with various groups, such as the PTA. Even social media
groups made up of local people can provide a lot of support.
Ashley believes that the answer to achieving our goals—as individuals and as a nation—comes down to
this—”We have to help each other.” Those goals are to ensure that everyone is fed, housed, and
medically cared for. And these benefits should reach beyond a subsistence level. “I don’t think the
average American expects to be a millionaire, but they don’t want to live paycheck-to-paycheck, either. I
think we all want to take care of each other.”
Ashley is committed to sharing her knowledge and experience in dealing with Medicaid and private
insurance companies with anyone who can benefit. She realizes that she is fortunate to have the time to
track down the information, and she empathizes with those who don’t, or who experience other
impediments such as language barriers. Even so, the stresses of dealing with insurance companies and
the educational system have very real and physical effects on her and her family. “I have a hard time
focusing, I can’t sleep, I’m worried about paying the bills…” This isn’t the life she wants for her family or
for her neighbors. She believes in the proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child.”
One of the things she has learned, and wants to share widely, is that many, many Americans are actually
on Medicaid, but don’t realize it. This is because their state governments automatically switched them
from The Affordable Care Act once their incomes met a certain threshold. As a result of those behind-
closed-doors actions, if Medicaid goes away, many people will be surprised to find that they are no
longer insured.
“We have to help each other,” is the mantra that keeps Ashley on track and gives her hope. She believes
it is the actionable sentiment that will get us through to the other side where everyone is cared for
equally.