Hard work. Family. Keeping his business going. When we met Mike at the Southwest Utah Community Health Center in St. George it was easy to see his priorities in life.

Not surprisingly, he also had a thing or two to say about the health care system.

It’s driven by greed, he says, and he’s frustrated that as hard as he works he still can’t afford health insurance for his family. He’s priced out policies, but at over $400/month it’s just out of the question.

While grateful for the primary care he and his family receive from the community health center on a sliding-scale basis, it’s not the answer to all of their health care needs. Mike has a tendon problem he’d like to get looked at. His wife needs follow up care from a leg surgery she had years ago after an accident. His kids need to see the dentist.

In the busy summer months, the whole family pitches in to keep their window cleaning and car detailing business going. “I work just as hard as anybody else,” said Mike, outraged that all their time and labor put into the business still isn’t enough to get basic health care coverage.

For now they’ll continue to rely on the services of their community clinic, a safety net for people like Mike and his family for whom hard work doesn’t mean access to health insurance.

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