health care stories

Tough economic times come with countless difficult decisions and struggles, but losing health insurance should not be one of those.  Today, many part-time jobs don’t offer health insurance, and workers can’t afford to buy coverage on the individual market or are denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Private insurance companies use excuses like “pre-existing condition” and “lapse in coverage” to deny coverage and maximize profits.  Clinton is one of many HIV positive individuals who struggle to secure any health coverage in the private marketplace and are reliant on a patchwork system to provide necessary

One of the gravest concerns for HIV- positive people with employer-based health insurance is losing their job.  While COBRA may provide continued coverage for a few months, it is often accompanied with a steep premium hike, making continued coverage during a period of unemployment nearly impossible.  With a public option that provides secure, consistent, and high-quality coverage at an aff

Simply put, our current healthcare system is too expensive for most Americans and does not provide access to all the necessary care Americans need because they simply can’t afford it.  Even for the HIV positive individuals who are lucky enough to have insurance coverage, the costs associated with their plans are often discriminatively high because of the varied treatments necessary for any HIV-related il

For the HIV positive Americans that are lucky enough to have health insurance, the costs of necessary and adequate treatment regimes and medications are often still exceedingly high.  Like Phillip, the costs of treatments leave little income left for other necessities such as car payments, utilities and sometimes even food.

Like Jordan, most Americans are dependent on their employment for health care coverage, often at the expense of their personal or professional development, and fear losing their current health coverage by leaving one job for another, perhaps more rewarding, one.  Under the current system, it would be virtually impossible for Jordan to start a small business and buy affordable insurance on the individual market because ins

While COBRA offers Americans an extension of their previously-held health coverage for a period of time after release from employment, the costs associated with keeping this coverage are often very high considering the new financial circumstances most individuals find themselves in.  Health reform would give consumers access to an array of health plans options that aren’t linked to employers.  In addition, he

One of the most common issues facing HIV positive Americans when it comes to accessing adequate health care is fitting the “proper” eligibility requirements for state assistance.  Caught between categorical poverty and prohibitively expensive private insurance, many individuals are forced to simply go without coverage because they cannot afford private care.  Without expanding the eligibility require