By: Sunshine Hedlund
In 2012, I left a job that I did not like, though it had good insurance, to become a nanny—a job I love. I assumed I could get an individual insurance policy, but I was denied due to pre-existing conditions. Their reasons? Past kidney stones, polycystic ovary syndrome, and a height to weight ratio insurers deemed unacceptable though I was otherwise healthy.
Minnesota’s high-risk pool’s premiums were far too expensive for limited benefits. In fact, it was so costly that it was cheaper for me to pay for COBRA benefits through my former employer, which was still ridiculously expensive.
Fortunately, soon after my COBRA benefits ended, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was in place and I secured an affordable plan through MNSure. Thanks to the ACA, we were also able to get insurance for my husband, who had been uninsured for years due to the cost.
I want politicians to know that these are real people, real lives that they are hurting. Real lives they are impacting with their votes.
Then in 2014, after years of trying, I got pregnant. When we reapplied through MNSure, I (and my baby) ended up qualifying for Medical Assistance—which was huge for us. As people who live paycheck to paycheck, the cost of childbirth at the hospital is so expensive. Our daughter had jaundice when she was born, and she spent another two days in the hospital receiving treatment. If we would’ve had to pay for all of that care, we would have likely gone bankrupt. It would be devastating to us financially.
In the fall of 2017, my husband was hired on at a construction company. Prior to that, he had been self-employed, working as a carpenter contractor. For the first time in years, we all were on an employer sponsored health plan. It included a ridiculous $100 copay for specialty visits and a high deductible, but was still health insurance.
Less than a year later, the company closed, he lost his job, and we lost our employer sponsored insurance.
Finally, in March 2018, we were notified that my husband and I qualified for MinnesotaCare. Our premium was $560. Now it is $88 a month. My husband is working on starting his own business again, and work has been slow. We would not be able to have insurance if we did not have MinnesotaCare.
If we didn’t have access to MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance, we would be struggling each month to pay our premium. We would be paying other bills late or not at all so that we could attempt to keep our health care. If we didn’t have insurance, and we were having other health problems, we’d probably be delaying care because we couldn’t afford it—which could likely lead to worse long term health outcomes.
I want politicians to know that these are real people, real lives that they are hurting. Real lives they are impacting with their votes. Healthcare is a human right. We all deserve to be able to have access to quality, respectful, affordable health care.
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We all have a health care story, because health care is a basic, fundamental need. This is part of a weekly series during Minnesota’s legislative session where we share the health care stories of Minnesotans like you. Share your story here.
