Young children in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) need all the support they can get. The teachers who support them are, for many students, their first step in their child’s academic careers, a lifeline for the entire family and a vital part of the school’s ecosystem.

Robin Ginkel has been teaching ECSE at Hall STEM Academy in North Minneapolis for the past 5 years and has been teaching for Minneapolis Public Schools ECSE for 18 years.

2 years ago she pulled her back assisting a child and was eventually told the best possible solution for her pain is the well documented back surgery called laminectomy, discectomy and fusion to repair the herniated disc in her thoracic back.

For almost 2 years Robin has managed her pain and the gauntlet of denials, her school struggles with staffing and her students who love Teacher Robin are being denied their loving teacher being at full capacity.

Although Robin’s health insurance provider, United Healthcare, took $91.5 Billion in profit over the last five years, they have been unwilling to pay for the procedure her surgeon says she needs — making it impossible for her to move forward and forcing her to choose between the children and classroom that she loves or continuing to fight for her health.

Robin has no other chance at living a normal, pain-free life. The surgery Robin needs is estimated to cost around $200,000, an expense she can’t afford on her own. Without insurance coverage, Robin will be unable to obtain surgery and will be faced with a bleak and painful life and future and unable to perform the job she loves and that many students and families count on her for.

Tell United Healthcare to put people over profit and cover the care that doctors say Robin and other policyholders need.