AKG Advocacy

If you’re not sure where to begin, follow this step-by-step guide to get the most out of our resources:

1. Start Here – Message from Our Founder

Before you dive into insurance and healthcare basics, check out a Message from Our Founder, Carley Cook, to learn more about who she is and why she created this website and service. 

2. Next: Dive into Insurance Basics
   Begin by learning the essentials of health insurance. This section explains key terms, helps you understand how coverage works, and includes overviews of Medicare, Managed Care Organizations, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts.

3. Next – Tips for Dealing with Insurance Companies
   Once you’re comfortable with the basics, explore our practical advice for communicating with insurers, documenting interactions, and getting results. You’ll also find our pages on Insurance Gaslighting — how to recognize manipulative denial tactics, misleading explanations, or inconsistent reasoning — and How to Respond Professionally and Effectively to protect your rights.

4. Advocating for Yourself in Healthcare
   Self-advocacy isn’t only about insurance—it starts in the exam room. Learn how to prepare for appointments and assert your needs with our pages on:

• Advocating Starts at Your Doctor’s Office – how to plan ahead, ask the right questions, and stand firm when your concerns are dismissed.

• Pre-Appointment Checklist – what to bring, how to track symptoms, and how to ensure your voice is heard.

• Patient Bill of Rights – understand your protections as a patient and what to do if those rights are ignored.

• Chronic Pain Management – resources for patients struggling to get adequate pain care, including how to discuss treatment options confidently, address stigma, and respond if you’re unfairly labeled as “drug-seeking.”

• Healthcare Provider Gaslighting – how to recognize medical gaslighting, examples of what it looks like in practice, and proven strategies to respond firmly but professionally to protect your dignity and care. It is broken down  into healthcare provider gaslighting and  health insurance  gaslighting.

5. Advocating for a Loved One
   Sometimes instead of advocating for yourself, you need to advocate for someone else — whether that’s a friend or family member. Advocacy on behalf of another can be more complex, but you’re not alone. Visit the Caregiver Corner to learn how to navigate the world of healthcare and insurance as a caregiver. Check out the Caregiver Advocate Toolkits and other templates to help you organize your  life as a caregiver.   Also , look at the difference between Power of Attorney (POA) and Health Information Portability and Accessibility  Act (HIPAA).
   Check out the Templates page for downloadable tools, such as tracking forms for medications, diagnoses, and provider contacts.

6. Stuck in the Prior Authorization or Appeals Loop?
   We’ve got you covered. Visit Steps to Take, the Guidebook, What “Medical Necessity” Really Means, and the Medicare Appeals Process.
   Don’t forget our List of Templates page and Sample Documents to help you draft strong, evidence-based requests and appeals.

7. Save Time with Trusted Tools and Find Help with Financial Assistance Resources
   Check out our Research and Resources section for websites, apps, and reference tools that make managing your care easier.  There also is a list of organizations that provide financial assistance here.

8. Get Involved in Advocacy
   Want to make a bigger impact? Visit Advocacy, Petitions, and Government Updates.
   You’ll find ready-to-use letters and templates to contact policymakers and a curated list of Professional Contacts — no more digging for email addresses!

9. Connect with Us
   Share your story, ask for help, or collaborate on future projects through the Contacts and Additional Information page. Whether you want to be featured on our blog or need support in your current battle, we’d love to hear from you.

10. Need One-on-One Assistance?  Contact us!

Schedule a 20-30 minute phone call with us to go over your information and situation.  When you first start working with us one-on-one, we will ask you to complete some forms, which include a Demographics form, a Release of Information form, Intake form, and others. We also may ask for a scan/picture of your insurance card(s). We ask for this information so we can help you as efficiently and as much as possible.  We do not charge a fee for one-on-one meetings.

Once paperwork is completed, please email completed forms, a photo of the front and back of your insurance card, and any documentation, EOBs, etc. to AKG.Advocacy@outlook.com.