#GetCovered

HealthCare.gov is Open for Business

Learn More

“Without the Affordable Care Act, I simply could not have retired at 62.”

Read more stories at WhiteHouse.gov/Get-Covered.
Donald L., Palm Coast, FL

Health Care Blog

  • The Faces of Health Care: Durrain K.

    Posted by Tanya Somanader on December 8, 2014 at 8:56 PM EDT

    "With the new health care reform, we are able to get a secondary insurance with an affordable premium and 40 hours of therapy. That is what Shaheer needed all along." 

    The first word he said was "Mom." 

    For Durrain K., that word was more than a milestone, it was a breakthrough. Her son, 5-year-old Shaheer, is Autistic -- a condition that, for most of his life, had prevented him from speaking at all. 

    Unfortunately, even with insurance coverage and a good IT job, Durrain's husband could not afford the therapy hours that Shaheer needed. They were already paying $1,300 out-of-pocket because there's no coverage for ABA. 

    Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Durrain and her husband could afford to buy a secondary plan that covered 40 hours of therapy for Shaheer. After getting that intervention therapy, Shaheer is now able to talk and communicate with his parents.

    "There are many families like us out there who are benefitting from this new health care system," Durrain wrote in a letter to President Obama. "So thank you on their behalf and thank you from ours." 

    Need to get covered? Find a health plan that best fits your needs at HealthCare.gov. Already covered? Commit to help someone you know get covered here.

    Learn more about , Health Care

  • The Faces of Health Care: Donald L.

    Posted by Tanya Somanader on December 8, 2014 at 8:35 PM EDT

    "Without the Affordable Care Act, I simply could not have retired at 62." 

    Donald L. is not one prone to writing politicians. But after hearing about the opposition to the Affordable Care Act, this recently retired Floridian from the Palm Coast decided to share his story with the President. 

    After turning 62 in 2013, Donald had high hopes of retiring and finally spending some real, quality time with his wife. However, after undergoing a kidney transplant several years ago, he could no longer afford an insurance plan that would provide the coverage he needed. "It was looking like I would have to wait until 65 and Social Security," he wrote.

    Then, in 2014, the Health Insurance Marketplace opened for business, and Donald found a plan that he could afford in retirement -- and so he did. Now, he and his wife are reconnecting in a way he had only hoped possible.

    Learn more about , Health Care

  • The Faces of Health Care: David H.

    Posted by Tanya Somanader on December 8, 2014 at 7:00 PM EDT

    "The Affordable Care Act which you championed has saved my life. I thank you for that from my heart."

    David H. has known more than his fair share of loss. His father, grandfather, brother, cousin, uncle, and other family members have all had cancer -- all but one tragically passed away too young.

    Knowing his family history, this photographer and web designer from Elkins Park, Pennsylvania knew the chances of being diagnosed with cancer were high. However, the nature of his jobs meant an inconsistent income -- which meant he had not been able to afford coverage for over a decade. 

    But when the Health Insurance Marketplace opened in 2014, David chose a plan that worked best for his needs and enrolled. As soon as he got his insurance card, he went to the doctor for a long overdue check up. Sure enough, the doctors found four abnormal growths and proceeded to remove them all.

    Thankfully, David is now "clear with good margins." "Without the Affordable Care Act, I would not have had a colonoscopy," he said. "One or all of the polyps would have metastasized within a year according to my doctors." 

    That is why he wrote to the President -- because the ability to afford quality coverage saved his life.  

    Need to get covered? Find a health plan that best fits your needs at HealthCare.gov. Already covered? Commit to help someone you know get covered here.

    Learn more about , Health Care

  • The Faces of Health Care: Cait I.

    Posted by Tanya Somanader on December 8, 2014 at 6:45 PM EDT

    "I'm a small business owner with my feet planted firmly on the ground. I am an American with many hopes and dreams and I know I will face many challenges ahead. But, now I have peace of mind and less anxiety about maintaining good health." 

    If you're driving through Council Bluffs, Iowa and you come across any large and beautiful murals on the side of city buildings, you may be looking at Cait's life work. Cait is the daughter of public school educators who encouraged her to use her "unique and natural born talents" to make her own way in the world. 

    But in her early twenties, Cait was dropped from her mother's insurance plan and there was no way she could afford her own insurance. Though she worked full time, none of her employers offered health insurance. "The few times that I needed to seek medical help, I went into major debt and had to opt for payment plans," she said. "Some of these bills took years to pay off. Even receiving basic preventive care seemed like a far off dream."

    Now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Cait is free to make an even bigger dream a reality. Under the ACA, Iowa expanded its Medicaid program, and, at 34, Cait finally has the health insurance she needs to start her own business in community beautification. But her outlook expands far beyond the beauty of her work: "My vision is to build a successful organization that takes care of [its] employees while inspiring change and awareness through art." 

    Need to get covered? Find a health plan that best fits your needs at HealthCare.gov. Already covered? Commit to help someone you know get covered here.

    Learn more about , Health Care

  • The Faces of Health Care: Jenna R.

    Posted by Tanya Somanader on December 8, 2014 at 1:09 PM EDT

     

    "My life has completely changed ... I can breathe deeply without coughing. I can walk to work without taking a break. I can play with my dogs. I can sleep through the night. I'm even working up the nerve to ride my bicycle. Only a few weeks ago, I felt like the best years of my life were long behind me. Today, I feel like I haven't begun to live."

     

    read the rest
    Learn more about Health Care

  • The Faces of Health Care: Don E.

    Posted by Tanya Somanader on December 5, 2014 at 7:55 PM EDT

    "His mother and I would have had to make the very cold calculation: Do we spend our own retirement savings on his medical care trying to extend his life, or do we cast him adrift to save what we can for our own later years?

    Because, what company would have ever insured him without the ACA? Not one."

    In March of 2013, Don and his family were dealt a devastating blow. His son Daniel, a hardworking 35-year-old, was diagnosed with brain cancer and had to have a tumor removed. Thankfully, he was covered by employer-sponsored health so his insurance covered most of the costs for his hospitalization, the surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and diagnostic MRI imaging. His medical care costs far exceeded $200,000, so Don and his family were grateful for the coverage.

    But this May, Daniel lost his job -- the consequences of the cancer and operation make employment impossible for him. Don's family would have been forced to continue a very expensive coverage option available to unemployed workers for a limited time had it not been for the Affordable Care Act.

    The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions and provides affordable and quality coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplaces. And thanks to the ACA, Don was able to help his son sign up for a subsidized plan on the Marketplace that will pay 94% of his medical expenses, for a monthly premium of $45.  

    Need to get covered? Find a health plan that best fits your needs at HealthCare.gov. Already covered? Commit to help someone you know get covered here. 

     

    Learn more about Health Care

From the Press Office

Related Videos