In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

63 Insurance Coverage Vicky had been difficult to reach for her interview. It was clear she was a very busy woman and that time given to us for an interview meant time away from more important and pressing aspects of her life. Despite this, we made arrangements to meet on one of her days off from work on a blistering hot July afternoon . Her small, ocean-colored ranch house was located in a Portland metropolitan neighborhood that, despite its pleasant appearance, had long been known for its share of crime and depressed property values. Vicky is a thirty-nine-year-old African American mother of three. When she greeted us at her front door for her first interview, we were immediately drawn to her hospitable face and warm brown eyes. The contents of her home had a very “ordered” appearance, and as we sat down in her family’s den, she continued to fold a basket of laundry, a job we had obviously interrupted. The pride she felt in her children was immediately apparent: two walls of her living area were literally covered with photos of them. The elaborate display had been carefully and thoughtfully assembled to accommodate the varying sizes and shapes of the frames. Portland had been experiencing a heat wave and Vicky’s home had been taken captive by it. Thankfully, a large floor fan enlivened the hot, heavy air, though it forced us to talk a bit louder than we would have normally. As we became acquainted, Vicky’s thorough and talkative nature led us on a series of discoveries about her life. In her unhesitating manner, Vicky made it known that she highly valued her family’s well-being and the protection of it through health insurance. Chapter 3 64 Just Don’t Get Sick Vicky and her children were covered by OHP and she was extremely grateful for the safety net that it provided. Eight-month-old David was “born perfect” and was in good health, though she felt that he experienced more colds than other children his age. Connie, a beautiful two-year-old who waddled into the den with her brother, had “the better time with health.” Eight-year-old Justin, on the other hand, had some significant health issues, including foot surgeries and recurrent respiratory infections. Additionally, Vicky had experienced her own health concerns. For instance, she said that while pregnant with David, she was hospitalized for high blood pressure: “I was just walking one day and then I kinda held up both hands and then felt a little dizzy . . . push myself to the doctor and sure enough when I got in there, I mean they hospitalized me right away.” Fortunately, she had health insurance coverage at the time, but another time, during a bout with an upper respiratory infection, her insurance had lapsed. Like other families we met, her insurance status was constantly changing . One month her entire family might be covered, the next month she or the children might be dropped from coverage. During a period of being without insurance, she discovered firsthand how difficult it could be for individuals with little money and no insurance to find health care: My benefits ran out on the Oregon Health Plan. My children had coverage but I did not because it goes according to your income. I had changed jobs and it left me without insurance for a while. . . . I needed to go to the doctor but I didn’t have coverage and so I had to pay myself somebody to do it out of pocket which was really hard to find nowadays. I didn’t realize that, but yeah. [INTERVIEWER: You had to find somebody that would accept cash?] Yeah. [INTERVIEWER: And that was hard?] Yeah, because I didn’t realize it that everything has turned over to the Oregon Health Plan. You know people that used to, like Multnomah County, I used to be able to go up there when there was a lapse in my insurance and see someone but when I called them they said that it would take a while to get because if I didn’t have Oregon Health Plan I would have to wait for an opening. I would have to wait and I wasn’t feeling very well to be waiting around so it was pretty difficult. Vicky tried desperately to find a medical provider whom she could afford and who would accept her right away. She told...

Share