By MARGE FAVILLE
May 10, 2008 04:00 am For the uninsured, lack of access to health care isn't something they have to deal with just one week a year -- it's a year-round struggle to literally stay alive. Michiganders would no doubt be shocked to learn that many of the 1 million residents of our state without access to health care are themselves health care workers. Many nursing home workers, for example, are offered extremely expensive health care plans that will cover the worker but not their families. Hospital nurses spend their careers caring for others, but many don't receive health coverage upon retirement. Almost half of Michigan's 40,000 home care workers, who provide in-home services as an alternative to facility-based care, are either uninsured or underinsured. That includes health care workers like Karen Kirkland, a licensed practical nurse from Detroit who was diagnosed with lymphoma shortly after being laid off from her job. The disease ravaged her body, landing her in and out of the hospital. Karen's cancer is in remission, but she's saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills with no way to pay them. As a result, she lost her home, and her part-time job barely covers the $600 she pays each month for her prescription drugs. "It's like I'm drowning and no one cares," Karen says. "I just got over cancer, but it's hard to feel like you're over anything when bill collectors are constantly calling your phone." There's Linda Braddock, who has spent the last six years caring for seniors at a nursing home in Saginaw. For most of those six years, Linda could barely see her patients, as she has no medical or vision coverage. She finally got help in getting glasses and medical eye drops, but she still can't afford to see a doctor. Linda has lost three close family members to cancer in the past few years, and she's terrified of the potential of developing cancer without ever knowing it. "I know I need to go get checked out at least once a year, but there's no way I could afford that," Linda says. Then there's Ernie Hobbs, a Kalamazoo home care worker who cares for his disabled stepson. Ernie, who is getting older but not quite eligible for Medicare, doesn't have health insurance. He worries in particular about his son, who depends on Ernie for even the most basic tasks. "It scares me to think what would happen if I wasn't around," Ernie says. "I'm getting old and I get scared every time I get a cough or something starts to hurt." People like Ernie, Linda and Karen spend their lives caring for us and our loved ones. It's time we join together and help care for them, and the thousands of other health care workers living day after day without health care. About the author: Marge Faville, a registered nurse, is secretary-treasurer for SEIU Healthcare Michigan, the state's largest local health care union, which represents more than 55,000 health care workers including RNs, home care workers, nursing home aides and hospital support staff. About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
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Marge Faville