Mark E. (Zelienople, PA)

I own a small landscaping business and have gone without health insurance for most of my life because it is just too expensive. I have a fourteen year old son who is thankfully covered by CHIP. I was recently admitted into the hospital for an emergency stay after feeling pain in my chest and left arm. Luckily, I got there in time for the doctors to prevent me from having a heart attack. During the stay, I received a heart stint and was put on an expensive monthly prescription to reduce my chance of having a heart attack in the future. My hospital stay and procedures totaled $63,000. Fortunately, I was granted emergency Medicaid which provided me with temporary insurance, leaving me with a more realistic hospital bill. However, this coverage expires July 31st and I will still have to pay for all of my prescription drugs which are more than $200 a month.

I am now looking for health insurance coverage anywhere I can find it, but it seems to be non existent for individuals in my position. I am one of many that cannot afford the high costs of local private insurance plans, and yet, some current government run plans aren’t much help either. Adult Basic does not even provide coverage of prescription drugs, which is one of my main concerns so what’s the point of waiting more than two years to get onto it when I’m still going to have to pay anyway? There needs to be somewhere out there for people like me to turn to. Some kind of program where I can pay what I’m able to afford so that I’m not left to fend for myself.