Member-only story
The Sudden Interest in My Health
Vaccinations, health care, and self-interest
I am one of the 31 million Americans without health insurance. It’s not because I don’t want it. I do. But when I retired from my teaching position in Minnesota, I thought that I would be able to find a job that offered health insurance to tide my wife and me over until we were eligible for Medicare at age 65.
I was wrong. I did find a teaching position, but it was at a small school without the backing of a larger school district. What this meant for me is that I was offered health insurance through my small employer that I could not afford. It wasn’t even close. Providing coverage for my wife and me would take one of the two paychecks I receive each month. It was just not doable. I looked into plans offered through the Affordable Care Act but found that there were no policies there we could afford either. I apparently make too much to qualify for any assistance, and not enough to actually buy it, so we are on our own. As a veteran, I looked into coverage through the Veterans Administration, but because I am not disabled or destitute, I was not eligible for coverage there either. Great.
Right now my health insurance is provided via GoFundMe or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
