Illinois Health Matters, June 5, 2008

Illinois Health Matters is a Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law newsletter that describes health care in Illinois through the stories of state residents. Our intent is to show the reality of health care in Illinois. Our hope is that this reality will help Illinois celebrate, use, and safeguard what is already good and drive Illinois toward constant improvement and health care for all.

We want your stories for Illinois Health Matters! We are extremely careful about your confidentiality and will always clear any of your information with you first before we use it. Please click here to share your story (or the story of someone you know) and we will follow up with you. You may also submit stories to: Melissa Cubria, direct line: 312.368.1168

MARIA--uninsured with no safety net in place

Maria is a small business owner who operates a financial services business with her husband in Chicago.  For 20 years she had an individual policy with a private insurance company and decided to keep it after opening her business. The slowing financial market made things tight around Maria's household and she found it increasingly difficult to pay her monthly premiums. About three years ago, she missed one payment after 20 years of paying her premiums on time and was immediately forced to re-apply in order to continue her coverage with the private insurance company. Maria reapplied and was promptly denied coverage. Since then, Maria has jumped from insurance provider to insurance provider because of ever increasing premiums and deductibles and has found it very difficult to pay for health care costs on top of all her other bills. This past year has been particularly hard for her and her husband; the rising prices of gas, housing, food and increased debt made it impossible to obtain an insurance plan that her family could afford. Recently, Maria dropped her health insurance altogether because of its insurmountable price compared to her income. Maria is now one of the 47 million Americans without insurance and as she says, being uninsured in America is like, "swinging on a trapeze with no net." Maria believes there is a myth surrounding the uninsured: that they are people who do not work and who are uneducated. Maria's story clearly debunks this myth. Her story is an example of a hard-working American who not only values comprehensive, quality, affordable health care but is willing to pay for it if only she could afford it. Health care costs are increasing at a rate that makes it hard for families and businesses to keep up. Prescription drug costs and insurance premiums squeeze families and leave more Americans without adequate health coverage. It becomes harder and harder every day for low-and middle-income families to gain access to what should be a basic human right and not a luxury good or commodity.

HILARY--Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer Program provides hope for women

Forty-eight year-old Hilary, of Palos Heights, has epilepsy. Until 2000, Hilary had health insurance through her employer. That year, she decided to change jobs and planned to purchase insurance on the individual market. However, the only policies insurance companies offered her were prohibitively expensive plans. Most of the time she was outright denied coverage due to her preexisting condition. Epilepsy is a condition that few insurance companies are willing to take on. For the next seven years, Hilary remained uninsured. She paid for some services out-of-pocket and was able to get others free of charge. Hilary built a network of primary care doctors throughout her life and they were invaluable resources for her and helped her navigate the country's fractured health care system. "Thank god, my doctors are very good with me. I've had them my whole life," she said. Her doctors have, on many occasions, waived their fees, and have also connected her to other programs meant to help the uninsured. This fall, when Hilary was diagnosed with breast cancer, it became even more important for her to have access to care. Fortunately, she did not have to rely solely on the good will of doctors and hospitals for her treatment. After doing some research, Hilary discovered the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, a program that gives uninsured women in the state of Illinois access to free mammograms, breast exams, pelvic exams and Pap tests and provides coverage and care for all illnesses detected. Hilary has been able to adequately manage her illness during this very difficult time in her life and is proud that a program like this exists for women in Illinois.

Illinois Health Matters
Issue 4
June 5, 2008