Christina M., Levy County
I’m 44 years old. I’m married and have an adult son. My husband and I are both working Americans. However, we don’t have health insurance. I’ve tried to get it, but it’s too expensive. I’ve actually been uninsured since I turned 18, and I’m ineligible for insurance without paying hundreds a month. I guess this is the nation we’ve come to.
Since I don’t have health insurance, I don’t go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to. I started to have stress-induced seizures in 2006, and I don’t even treat that. The seizures I get cause me to black out, and I’ve had to go to the Emergency Room because of this quite a few times. They’ve caused me to split my head wide open and I’ve even gotten plastic surgery on my face as a result. I was actually in the hospital recently because of a stress-induced seizure and spent three days there. Since I don’t have insurance, I can only imagine what the bill is going to be when it comes in. I already have outstanding hospital bills that I cannot afford to pay.
I was told about the Equal Access Clinic by someone from UF Health. After getting out of the hospital recently, someone called me and told me about it because they knew I didn’t have insurance. When I went to the Equal Access Clinic for the first time, I got more than what I bargained for. I have a lump on my breast and it turns out it can very well be cancer. I’m just now starting to have it examined and getting tests done, so I’m hoping to remain seizure-free while I wait.
If Florida expanded Medicaid and I were to qualify for it, it would be a big help. I would be able to get the tests I need to get done without any issues. I could get the medication that I need and do what I need to do. I’ve had issues for several years, and they are issues that maybe wouldn’t have gotten this far if I’d had insurance. Maybe some of these things could have been prevented. But it’s a little late for that now. I’ve got some issues that could be dire, so it’s going to be a journey.