Reagan Noble leaped to block a shot on goal during the last game of the Eureka College soccer team’s 2022 preseason.
The blinding pain he felt on touching the ground came from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. As the 20-year-old was helped from the field, he began a weeks-long journey that included consultation with many doctors, diagnostic imaging, surgery, and physical therapy costing tens of thousands of dollars.
Hoping to return to soccer, he searched for a surgeon familiar with sports medicine. He researched procedures and spoke with several doctors, then settled on a physician in St. Louis.
The provider was a three-hour drive from the Nobles’ home, well beyond the reach of local insurance networks. Not that it mattered—the family was uninsured….