FRESNO
I can’t afford health insurance even though I work full time. I don’t qualify for public assistance and I’m too young for Medicare.
I have cataracts, but I can’t afford to get them taken care of. My glasses cost me over $450 dollars – that was a month's worth of income for me.
Where does that leave people like me?
VISALIA
My husband has diabetes, and even though he has insurance, it’s costing us a fortune. We are spending about $400 dollars a week on healthcare costs. In addition, some of his prescriptions are not covered and one of them is costing us $200 a month.
This has been very difficult for us. Our hard earned money is going straight to medications and co-pays instead of paying for our bills.
To make things worse, I don’t have insurance for another 3 months. My husband’s new job has a waiting period of 90 days before I am allowed on his policy.
BAKERSFIELD
Over the past six years our employer’s health insurance has doubled. We don’t want to lose the coverage we have, but it’s getting expensive to maintain it. Last year alone the costs went up 22% from the previous year.
We chose to keep the same health insurance, but it took months of negotiations. If costs continue to rise we might have to start dropping our benefits to lower them – I don’t want to see that happen.
Everyone should be provided with affordable, quality healthcare. If everyone had health insurance, all of our costs would go down.
BAKERSFIELD
My father was able to successfully manage his diabetes for a long time. After he lost his job, purchasing COBRA coverage was much too expensive, so he had to go without.
Without the medical treatment to control his diabetes, a small infection escalated until he lost both his legs.
BERKELEY
These days, we’re spending almost one third of our monthly income on health insurance.
The insurance plan for my wife and I jumped from $595 to $875. We originally tried to add our daughter to the plan, but it was just too expensive. We ended up getting her a plan own plan, but that shot up 250%.
SAN JOSE
A few years ago I suffered a heart attack. As a result, I am now only able to work part-time. Since I’m self-employed with a new business, I don’t have health insurance provided to me through my work.
Right now I’m on COBRA, but the payments are killing me. I spend over $2,100 a month to pay for coverage for me and my wife.
AUBURN
I was a victim of a violent crime, which left me on death’s doorstep. Now the only insurance I can get is MediCal, but they constantly deny my care. My doctors say I need a CAT scan, but I can’t get it approved.
The “safety net” is supposed to catch people like me, but I fell right through it.
SACRAMENTO
When my husband retired, we paid $105 for our healthcare each month. Now we pay $679 a month, plus our Medicare premium of $90.36.
We’re lucky we can keep our healthcare, but with costs going up all the time, how long will that last?
DALY CITY
My wife has health insurance, but it doesn’t cover the prescription drugs she needs. After her heart attack, she is supposed to take several medicines that cost about $600 every month.
Our family just can’t afford it, so she goes without the medicine that might prevent her from having another heart attack.
People like my wife can’t afford to wait for healthcare reform.
BAKERSFIELD
After I got sick, I was able to keep my healthcare through COBRA for a few months. But then I missed the grace period on a payment by three days and it was canceled
I looked into other insurance policies, but now I’m "high risk" and no one would take me.
FAIRFIELD
When I started to feel dizzy and sick a few years ago, I headed straight to the E.R. My family has a history of heart attacks and I didn’t want to take any chances. Since I have insurance, I didn’t think the visit would be unaffordable for me.
I was shocked when I found out the hospital had billed me for $30,000. I called my insurance company, but they said they wouldn’t pay for it because the bill had been coded wrong.
PALMDALE
I have insurance through my work, but I had to switch to a high deductible plan of $800 to cut down on my monthly premiums. My husband and I are still paying over $300 a month. Not only that, but we still have to pay 40% of all costs after our deductible is met.
One day at work, I started to feel really sick so I headed over to the emergency room. I had some lab work done and I was sent home and told I would be just fine.
HOLLISTER
My husband and I are paying $1,024 a month for our medical insurance premium, but it still isn’t covering all of our medical expenses. In fact, last year alone we spent $595 in doctor’s fees, $1,246 on prescription medications and over $1,238 in other costs. This is a lot of money to be spending on healthcare, but what else can we do?
SACRAMENTO
Both of my daughters work, but only one of them has health insurance. My daughter without insurance only works part time right now and cannot afford to pay $282 a month for a health premium. Even if she were to increase her hours, there’s no guarantee that she would be able to get affordable health coverage.
I worry that she’s only a doctor’s visit away from disaster. What will she do then? We all need to make sure that everyone can get affordable healthcare.
SAN JOSE
I’m diabetic and I need medicine and regular checkups in order to manage my disease and stay healthy. But for three years, I couldn’t get either.
I made too much money to qualify for public insurance. Private insurers denied my applications because of my pre-existing condition. And I just didn’t have the hundreds of dollars it took to pay for my treatments each month. In desperation, I was finally able to get some medicine from a family member who is also diabetic.
I finally struggled to get coverage through my husband’s insurance, but only under the condition that I would have to pay for most of the expenses of my diabetes.
DANVILLE
I have tried to purchase my own health insurance several times, but I constantly get denied due to my ‘pre-existing’ condition.
Fortunately, I have insurance through my wife’s job, but I worry about what will happen if we were to ever lose it. Even with insurance, we still have to pay large out of pocket costs for the premiums, co-pays and prescription medications. Last month I paid about $300 just for my prescriptions.
MODESTO
I’m sick – sick of not having healthcare. I work my tail off to provide for my family and I know my husband does too, but we just can’t afford a health insurance premium.
As a nursing student, I see first hand the high costs and the stress people have to deal with when they don’t have insurance. Most of the people I see come into the emergency room because they couldn’t afford to see a doctor when they got sick in the first place.
I was always taught that if you worked hard, you would be able to afford what you needed in life. It is really sad that so many working people are not able to find affordable health insurance for their families.
ALAMEDA
For years, my husband ran a small paint contracting business. Then he had a heart attack. While he was recovering from his heart attack, he missed one payment on his health insurance and was dropped from the policy. Because of his recent heart attack, he had a hard time finding insurance.
He finally found a high-risk plan through Blue Cross, but it had a $50,000 yearly cap. Things were fine until he got diagnosed with Leukemia. We were told by the hospital to get on MediCal because his policy wouldn’t cover his treatments.
IRVINE
I still can’t believe it. I’m a million dollars in debt.
It all started last September. I was riding my motorbike home from work, when I was hit head-on by a driver who had lost control of his car. I am incredibly blessed to be alive. In fact, I found out later that the doctors had only given me a 10% chance of survival.
I've had 24 operations since then, including the amputation of my left leg. Some days the pain is unbearable.
I had insurance, but it only covered a small fraction of my medical expenses. Now I’m a million dollars in debt, my credit is ruined and the medications I need cost me hundreds of dollars every month.
I own a small business that employs about twenty people; I pay taxes and contribute to the economy. A freak accident almost ended my life and a healthcare system that puts profits before people has me on the brink of financial ruin.
SACRAMENTO
My father has several medical conditions that are treated with medication. Without his insurance, he wouldn't be able to pay the out of pocket costs for them each month. Because of this, my mom is staying in a job where she has to work long hours every day, just to keep their health insurance. Purchasing a new insurance policy is out of the question – it's just too expensive.
I am tired of seeing my mom work so hard at her job, just for the insurance. I'm tired of seeing my father battle with HMO's to get treatments approved. We all deserve to have healthcare.
CONTRA COSTA
I am a veteran and the only access to healthcare I can get is thru the Veterans Administration (VA). One weekend I felt sick; the pain on my side was unbearable.
The VA clinic was closed, but my son called their hotline and described my symptoms. The people at the VA hotline said I couldn’t wait. I went to the hospital right away, where they found I had gallstones.
During my five days at the hospital, they had me on constant intravenous (IV) therapy. At the time, I didn’t know why, but my arm got infected. The hospital didn’t treat my arm and instead they sent me home.
SAN FRANCISCO
I have insurance, but it’s going to run out in a few months. I don’t know what I’m going to do after that happens – things are already hard as it is. I’m diabetic and I have very painful arthritis. Both of my conditions are treated with medication, but they are very expensive.
My insurance has a cap of $5,000 a year. One of my medicines is $2,400 a month, so I have already gone over this year’s cap. I can’t pay for my medications out of pocket because they are just too expensive.
I’m trying to find another insurance policy, but so far I haven’t had any luck. I’ve worked my whole life; I should be able to get affordable health insurance that covers my needs.
REDWOOD CITY
When I turned 22, I could no longer be covered under my father’s insurance plan. I had graduated college, so I couldn’t get coverage through the university anymore either. I started paying the $368 each month for COBRA, but that was pretty expensive for me and I couldn’t keep paying for it.
I’ve been treated for depression and it’s hard for me to get treatment now that I’m on my own policy. My drugs are expensive, so I buy them from overseas to cut down on the costs.
CAMPBELL
I had an extremely hard time finding good health insurance for me and my family. I felt that a little insurance is better than none, so I looked around to find a plan we could afford. It’s costing us over $200 a month for this insurance, but it was the best I could do.
Our plan has an $8,000 deductible, so we don’t go to the doctor unless it’s an absolute emergency. I don’t know what we will do if we ever have to pay that amount - it’s a scary thought.
SAN JOSE
When I was laid off from my job a few years ago, they canceled my insurance on the spot. I was able to get on COBRA, but it cost me $1,800 a month for me and my daughter. As if that weren’t enough, none of my prescriptions were covered and I had to pay over $500 dollars out of pocket to get them every month.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE
I've worked hard my whole life, but I don't have insurance. I'm self employed and I cut my finger at work one day. I tried to go to the clinic, but it was closed, so I went to the ER instead. I didn't spend that long in the ER and I only needed three stitches.
I was completely shocked when I got the bill from the hospital. They charged me $1,500 for visiting the ER and on top of that, the doctor charged me $300. Even worse, they sent me to collections and I spent a lot of time and money trying to pay it off.
If I had insurance, it wouldn't have cost me nearly as much. Something needs to be done to make healthcare more affordable for all of us.
SAN LEANDRO
My daughter lives in Hayward with her two kids. She works very hard all day long teaching kids with disabilities, but she doesn't get affordable health insurance.
She's looked into purchasing her own insurance, but it's just too expensive. To cover her family it would be $1300 a month and she just can't afford to do that.
ARBUCKLE
One morning a few summers ago, I started having intense heart palpitations and I ended up slipping in the shower. I panicked and thought I was having a heart attack, so I called 911.
I wasn’t sure about my insurance situation because I had just changed to a new insurance policy through my employer. I didn’t know my new insurance had kicked in, so I told the hospital I didn’t think I had insurance (even though I did).
I never received a bill from the hospital for my visit and I only knew there was a problem when I started getting calls from collections!
COTATI
My prescriptions used to cost me close to $400 a month and it was cutting into my social security. I ended up looking for ways to buy them cheaper and that's when I decided to order them online from Canada.
They didn't cost me nearly as much per month, but it landed me into trouble. I got a notice from the FDA informing me that they confiscated my drug shipment from Canada and would be shipping them back to the pharmaceutical company there. I need my medications everyday and I was too scared to think about doing it again.
REDWOOD CITY
When I needed to have surgery last year, I wanted to go to the same surgeon I had gone to in the past. The problem was I wasn't sure if it would still be covered under my latest insurance policy, so I called them up and asked what I should do. They told me I could see the surgeon, but I would have to pay up front and they would reimburse me after.
I filled out some forms and paid for my surgery expecting to get the money back. It's been nearly a year and I haven't seen a dime! I've called them so many times I started keeping a log.
SACRAMENTO
I had a job and was making too much money to get Medi-Cal, but not enough to pay for health insurance. So when I didn’t feel so well, I went to the indigent clinic. Turns out, they weren’t giving me the greatest treatment.
After a couple of days care at the clinic, my lung blew up like a balloon and burst. It stopped my heart and pretty much killed me. Luckily, I had reached the hospital in time and they resuscitated me on the Emergency Room floor.
LOS GATOS
Even though my insurance pays 80% of my prescription drug costs, it's barely enough to cover everything I need. I have Multiple Sclerosis and several other conditions that require expensive medications. I would have to pay nearly $2,000 a month if I bought them here.
Instead, I've been purchasing my drugs from overseas. They usually come from Canada, but sometimes I get them from New Zealand, Australia and Vanuatu, which until I saw Survivor, I didn't even know was a country. Although they are much cheaper, I am still spending close to $900 a month.
TRACY
I have insurance, but my husband doesn’t. He’s had a few E.R. visits in the past couple of years that have cost us hundreds of dollars. Unfortunately, he’s only 55 and doesn’t qualify for public assistance. My son lives with us and he needs in home care, but no longer can get assistance. Caring for him has cost us thousands of dollars, but what else can we do?
LOS ANGELES
My kids have health insurance, but dental coverage is still a big problem for us. I recently took my kids to the dentists and they told me they had cavities that needed to be filled.
The dentist wanted money up-front and I couldn’t afford it, so I took my kids to a dentist in Mexico.
I’m willing to do anything I can for my children’s health, but sometimes it’s just not enough.
BAKERSFIELD
Awhile back, I had to have surgery. Luckily, I had health insurance through my father.
When I tried to get health insurance on my own, no one would come near me. Finally I found an insurance company that would take me.
I’m 28 years old and pay $197 a month, 30% of the costs of my doctors’ visits and have a $6,000 deductible. As I get older, I’m sure things will only get worse.
GARDEN GROVE
My adult son suffers from a very painful condition and unfortunately, even though he works, he doesn’t have healthcare. At one point, he had to be rushed to the medical center because he was in so much pain.
He was in the critical care unit for over 24 hours because there were victims of violent crimes ahead of him. The ward they put him in was filthy and I was so disgusted that I started to clean it while we waited.
FAIRFIELD
When I started to feel dizzy and sick a few years ago, I headed straight to the E.R. My family has a history of heart attacks and I didn’t want to take any chances. Since I have insurance, I didn’t think the visit would be unaffordable for me.
I was shocked when I found out the hospital had billed me for $30,000. I called my insurance company, but they said they wouldn’t pay for it because the bill had been coded wrong.
SACRAMENTO
I was a stay at home mom with little career experience when I went through a divorce several years ago. I tried to get insurance through the same company that had covered my husband and I when we were married, but they denied me because of my high blood pressure.
FRESNO
Back in 2000, I was diagnosed with diabetes and didn’t have insurance. It turned out, that the no insurance part would be a bigger issue than the diabetes.
When the doctors told me I had diabetes, they also had to amputate my toe. When all was said done, I ended up with $20,000 in debt.
SANTA CRUZ
When I was laid off from my teaching job, I applied for private insurance and was denied because of three minor health issues, even though I consider myself perfectly healthy. Finally, I was told I could qualify for coverage for $1,300. That is an astronomical premium for someone making about $2400 a month. So now I have no insurance. I realize that I could potentially lose my home and I am often warned of the big risk I am taking, but it feels like there is no other choice for me.
MOSS LANDING
I don’t have insurance, so when my doctors recommended an expensive test, I knew I would be paying for it out of my own pocket. So I called three different hospitals and they all said that the test would cost $600. This is a lot of money for me, but I knew I could scrimp enough money together to just cover it.
FRESNO
I have asthma, arthritis, bad knees and constantly aching feet. I’m at retirement age, so I guess that’s all to be expected. Unfortunately, there is no way that I could afford to purchase even a bare-bones healthcare policy at my age. So I have no choice but to keep working full-time, despite all of my health problems and advanced age.
I worked hard all my life so I could retire someday. That day is a long way off because I can’t afford healthcare.
SAN JOSE
Even though we weren’t together anymore, my son was still being covered by his dad’s insurance. His dad never told me though that he took our son off the policy.
I didn’t know my boy didn’t have insurance until I took him to the doctor for his first of many seizures. I had to pay for all the expenses myself and it caused me to go bankrupt.
As a mother, it’s so incredibly stressful when your child is so sick. Now I also have to worry that I won’t be able to provide him with basic necessities. Something has to be done.
SANTA CRUZ
I was denied insurance because I have uterine fibroids, which haven’t caused me any problems–most women have them. I was also denied because of a medical test I underwent. I wasn’t denied because of the RESULTS of the test, but rather, just because I had the test done in the first place.
My husband was also denied because he had a referral for a medical test that he never actually had done at all.
CERRITOS
My oldest child was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was in middle school. When my daughter was in 11th grade, it was evident that the rod the doctors implanted in her spine needed to come out because she was in constant pain. My employer had just changed to a new HMO and I had to fight them for nine months, only for them to offer an orthopedist who had never done this type of surgery before! I finally decided to take out a loan and pay for the $25,000 surgery myself, but before I called the bank, I decided to call a lawyer. Eight hours after contacting the lawyer, I was able to schedule my daughter’s surgery with an experienced orthopedic surgeon who was covered by my new insurance.
For nine months, we only had medical coverage “on paper.” Our insurance wasn’t there for us when we actually needed it and my daughter suffered because of that.
Kendra describes the mounting medical bills as the clock ticks away at her coverage through her father's work.
FRESNO
Recently, I had to take my son to the emergency room. He ended up having emergency surgery for appendicitis. My boy is fine, but because I didn’t have insurance, I’m stuck with $50,000 bill. I don’t know how I’m even going to begin paying this debt off.
FREMONT
I have a great hospital right down the street where I’ve delivered all my children. I trust the doctors and nurses to be able to handle anything that comes along – because they’ve done it in the past.
Unfortunately, my insurance company dropped delivery coverage from this hospital. The next closest available hospital is in Stanford, which is a big problem because I don’t know any of the doctors there. Plus, it’s at least 30 minutes away, and that’s if there isn’t any traffic (and there’s always traffic). I don’t want going into labor while I’m stuck on a bridge!
APPLE VALLEY
When I tried to get health insurance, I was turned down because, like a lot of other people, I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I remember hearing somewhere that 9 out of 10 people will eventually get high blood pressure! The insurance company also said that I suffered from a heart condition, but my current doctor has examined me several times and says I'm fine.
People keep talking about fixing healthcare through “shared responsibility.” I tried to be responsible, but it seems insurance companies don’t want to take ANY responsibility.
IRVINE
I’m a single mother with 4 children making $9.47 an hour. Just recently, my daughter had to go to the doctor for an eye infection. I knew that the co-pay was $15 and the prescription was $35 – so, I didn’t take her to the doctor because I couldn’t afford it.
SAN FRANCISCO
I had private health insurance when I delivered my first child, but it didn’t cover my $10,000 bill. The insurance company and hospital didn’t offer me any financial options other than taking me to collections and then to court. I had to hire a lawyer, which cost me hundreds of dollars. My only solution was to charge the $10,000 on my credit card. With the 18% interest, I know that my family will never be able to get out of debt.
SAN FRANCISCO
Our healthcare system failed my 66 year-old co-worker. He had worked his whole life and then found he had a type of cancer that required a procedure his health insurance wouldn’t cover. He had to fall deep into debt to get the procedures he needed. My co-worker wished he could have retired by now but he can’t afford to.
I’m a single mom with two wonderful daughters. We have insurance, but I don’t know for how long.
I was an instructional aide for developmentally disabled children. I loved working with kids, but had to quit because of health issues.
Depending on how you look at it, you could say we've been very lucky or very unlucky. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and my husband, Ron, had an intestinal bleeding and open-heart surgery. But thankfully, we are still here and together.
We are both self-employed and the insurance we bought turned out to only cover about 20% of our medical bills. Then insurance company decided that my cancer was preexisting and didn't cover any of those expenses at all. Unfortunately, we had to file for bankruptcy, owe about $70,000 in medical bills and our home is mortgaged to the maximum.
We had insurance – this wasn’t supposed to happen to us.
SANTA CLARA
John didn’t have healthcare coverage. Even when his health started going down hill, he wouldn’t see a doctor because it cost too much. We didn’t know about the blood clot in his leg until it eventually killed him. Now my children have lost their father.
DAVIS
You wouldn’t know it looking at me, but I suffer from a rare genetic disease. Luckily, I have a VERY mild form and I’ve never had to file a single insurance claim because of it. Never in my whole life. But when I had to change insurance companies, I found no one would cover me. They denied me based on my genetics, not my wellness. Thankfully, I just qualified for Medicare. But now I’ve got to worry about my daughter, who has the same condition. What is SHE supposed to do? Waiting 43 years for Medicare to kick in isn’t a solution she can live with.
OAKLAND
Anyone with children knows it’s hard to make ends meet, but my family’s healthcare costs are making it hard to put enough food on the table.
Our family isn’t what some might call “traditional,” but we wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m retired AND the single mother of six adopted children. My youngest is 8 and my oldest is 15.
My medical insurance is skyrocketing through the roof. I pay $200 more a month for insurance than I get in retirement payments and my plan only covers me – not the kids, dental or vision, just me.
SANTA CLARITA
My daughter just had her fourth birthday party, which was wonderful. Except the one thing she really needed, I couldn’t get for her – health insurance. Our insurance company won’t cover her, because like a lot of kids, Faith had some ear infections. If she can go six months without another ear infection, we can add her to our policy. Other than a few ear infections, we are a healthy, young family and since I’m a physician’s assistant, we don’t go to the doctor for minor stuff. It just doesn’t seem right. We pay a lot of money in premiums AND we have a $4,000 deductible – it seems I can’t get this little girl even basic health coverage for ANY amount of money.
LOS ANGELES
I consider myself pretty healthy. Every week, I play basketball, lift weights and bicycle several miles. But I can't get health insurance. I just changed jobs and had to buy my own insurance. I was told I’m "uninsurable." Why? I was once taken to the hospital for an asthma attack – over a decade ago. Something’s got to change.