Meghan H. Kansas City, MO
Submitted: 09-09-2010
Meghan H. Kansas City, Missouri
Meghan H. watched as her little brother bounced from one Missouri walk-in clinic to another, seeking treatment for allergies that seemed to be worsening, causing recurring sinus infections and headaches.
Within a few months, Meghan was at a hospital with her family being told that her brother might not survive the brain surgery he urgently needed. The problem: a routine sinus infection had gone unchecked, spread to his brain and now threatened his life.
Meghan believes that it need not have happened that way. “Had my brother had the opportunity to have health care coverage that was affordable, had he had a doctor that he could go to, I truly believe his infection would not have gone that far. He would still be the active, healthy, able-to-do-whatever-he-wanted 21-year-old he should be.”
But now, because of the toll of the infection, he suffers short-term memory loss, lingering seizures, and is 70% blind. He is, she adds, “ very restricted in what he can do in a job, his career and his ability to live a normal life.”
The young man, who had run track in college and was working in landscaping to earn money is now considered disabled, putting him on the rolls of Americans covered by disability insurance.
Meghan sees how dependent care coverage could have made a massive difference. “Cases like my brother’s exhibit one of the primary problems with our healthcare system,” she says. “Lack of access to affordable health insurance and primary care doctors often results in diseases progressing unnecessarily, resulting in a huge cost to both the patient and taxpayers in the end.”
Currently, Meghan is living without health insurance. She’s looking for a job that will cover her. She keenly understands just how important it is to have coverage.
This story brought to you by Campus Progress and the Getting Covered campaign.
Paul R.
Carlisle, PA
Nia H.
Washington, DC
Kathryn E.
Kansas City, MO
Emily S.
Omaha, NE