It’s hard for most people to imagine getting diagnosed with cancer. Now imagine what it would be like to have beaten back cancer not just once, but three times – and then losing your health insurance.

Carol and Bill invited us into their San Jose home to share this story.

An active couple, Carol cultivates their welcoming backyard garden while Bill, a former chef, runs the show in the kitchen. Both volunteer their time with the District 8 Community Round Table, a neighborhood association that promotes community events and awareness.

Carol’s first run-in with cancer was over three decades ago in the form of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Recently, she got her third cancer diagnosis and then lost her job. Even though the two events were unrelated, the practical effect was she lost both her job and her health coverage in one fell swoop. A two-time cancer survivor himself, Bill runs his own IT consulting business and had been on Carol’s insurance – so he lost coverage too.

For millions of people, losing their job also means losing their health coverage. It happens so often. Carol and Bill were luckier than many - they were able to cut back enough to cover the extra $1,000 a month it cost to continue their health insurance plan.

Today, Carol has a job as a systems analyst. They both are insured. It’s a happy turn in this story – but tenuous. They already know what it’s like to lose both a job and their health care coverage, and Carol is determined to hold on for dear life to her current job and the good health insurance it provides for her and Bill.

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comments (2)

Comments

1 Posted by Ellen at 05/30/08 03:09 PM

Carol and Bill are such a good example of why the current system is so broken. They are fortunate to find jobs that provide insurance, but millions of Americans cannot.

I wish you both the best and thanks for speaking up!!

2 Posted by Michele Mohrmann at 06/01/08 10:47 PM

I agree with Ellen, who posted the comment before mine. Carol is my cousin and I know the pain and the heartache she has gone through, not only because she has fought back cancer three times, but because of the toll it has taken on her family and on her professional life. We, as Americans, need to stand up for a better health care system. While the politicians argue about everything else BUT health insurance, the people who have had to fight for their lives are the very ones who are being penalized by the system.

Thank you, Carol, for speaking up. Kelley and I pray that this deplorable situation will soon change.

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