Facing Aging Without Health Insurance

“Fernando Arriola, 58, had full health coverage for years at his former job, but since starting his own contracting business, there are no affordable coverage options for him and his wife.”

“Fernando Arriola spends his days keeping track of four or five construction projects, and his nights praying for good health. The New Orleans home builder is one of the 46 million people in this country who don’t have health insurance.”

“Making A Living, But Not Enough For Insurance”

“Arriola makes about $50,000 a year and says he enjoys working for himself. But what he’s missing is the comprehensive health coverage he had at his former job as a sales manager.”

“Ever since he’s been self-employed, Arriola has been on a health insurance roller coaster. Initially, he bought a standard policy with a $1,000 deductible to cover his family. Then, when business slowed down and money got tight, he decided to temporarily drop the coverage. When he tried to reinstate it, he could only afford a catastrophic plan.”

“‘I was paying $900 a month for a $5,000 deductible that would cover nothing until I hit that $5,000. So I was paying in essence $15,000 before I had one penny covered. And that was too expensive,’ Arriola says. So he dropped that coverage, only to have second thoughts. And when he tried to get it back, he was denied even the expensive catastrophic policy.”

“Aging Without Coverage”

“‘There’s nothing you can do about that. As you get older things don’t work so well, so…’ she says.”

“The Arriolas did buy a policy for their two daughters, ages 22 and 16. But Fernando and Maria are uninsured. They pay for doctor visits and prescriptions out of pocket.”

“If something major comes up, Arriola says he would leave the country for medical services. Arriola is a naturalized citizen and has lived in New Orleans since 1970. But last year, he traveled to his native Guatemala for arthroscopic knee surgery. It cost him less than $1,000.”

“‘Over here [it] would cost me thousands. They have just as good of doctors as they have over here. Most of them graduated from here,’ he says.”

“Not Waiting For Congress To Fix”

“‘The purpose is to be able to provide the working uninsured medical services. There is definitely a need. I’m a perfect example of it,’ Arriola says.”

“The alliance hopes to start providing care this fall. Arriola plans to sign up. In the meantime, he prays that nothing serious happens. The way the system works now, he says, he’d have to experience a major calamity to get coverage.”

“If I would have to go into the hospital, I would have to lose my house, I will have to lose all my savings, lose everything for the government to be able to help me. So 40 years of work, 40 years of struggle has to come to nothing. I have to be totally destitute in order for me to be able to get some help.”

“Arriola says he doesn’t want anybody to give him anything. He just wants to be able to afford health insurance. ‘There has to be a way,’ he says.  ”

Full Article: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112884476