College Graduate, 23, Uninsured, Deceased

Interviewed Courtney’s mother, March 2010

(oil on canvas, 40 ins. x 30 ins.)

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Courtney Huber was a former track and field standout. She had her entire life ahead of her, but on January 5, 2010, Courtney died. She was only twenty-three and had recently graduated college. Rather than getting kudos for her achievements, Courtney got something else, kicked off her parents’ insurance policy. Unlike many other recent college graduates, Courtney-- a Type 1 diabetic--wasn't thinking about her next exciting life challenge; she was concentrating on how to survive life itself.

Courtney applied for help. She didn't fall into any indigent categories and was turned down time and time again. She could not afford to purchase insurance on the individual market. It was cheaper to buy her medicine herself than to pay the insurance premiums. She came to her own conclusion that this was the way things were.

She tried to save money by cutting back on her nighttime dosage of insulin. The tragedy struck. Courtney developed flu symptoms. She did not realize she was falling in a diabetic coma called ketoacidosis. She would never wake up again.

At the time of Courtney's death, adult children in school full-time or recently graduated were forced off their parents’ health insurance plan at the age of twenty-three. Today under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, Courtney would have been able to stay on her parents’ health insurance plan until the age of 26 unless she got a job that provided insurance.