Jerry Depeine is a single father of two and works as a dietary aide at a West Palm Beach, Fla., nursing home. Despite working in a healthcare setting, Depeine doesn’t have insurance since he cannot afford the plans his employer offers.
For Depeine, getting sick often meant he’d have to miss more time from work than normal because he couldn’t always afford the treatment that would speed his recovery. “Not long ago, I had a throat infection and the prescription was too much for me to pay. I couldn’t afford it, so I just walked away. I just had to bear the pain and not go to work,” he explained.
Now Depeine is in the process of enrolling in one of the insurance plans created by the federal marketplaces–one that will cost less than his employer’s plan and will fit into his monthly budget.
Depeine looks forward to some of the preventive care that is a hallmark of the new law. He feels that regular checkups, which he’s never been able to afford, are a key to staying healthy. “Now that I’m turning 30, I want to get routine checkups so I can find out what going on with my body and stay informed about the status of my health,” he says.
Depeine is also looking forward to the protections he’ll have in case of an accident or a medical emergency. “It’ll make me feel safe and protected knowing that if something happens it’s not going to break me with all the medical bills,” he says. “It’s good to know at the end of the day you’ll have the help if you need it.”
Now that he is on his way to getting affordable insurance, Depeine shifted his focus to educating his fellow UHW-East members and folks in his community about the new healthcare law. “Everyone should know about their options, and everyone should be able to feel safe and secure in terms of their health,” he added.
This article was originally printed on SEIU on November 13, 2013. Reprinted with permission.
Author: SEIU Communications.
