Dental Practice Office Manager, 51, Uninsured

Interviewed March 2018

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

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Christine is a single mother of a college student. She is a manager for a dental practice. She makes $50,000/year. She is also uninsured. Although Christine works full-time, she does not have benefits through her job. She qualified for a subsidy to help her purchase insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace, but the only plan she could afford had a prohibitively high deductible. In short, Christine has been priced out of health insurance.

Prior to her interview with the artist, Christine was struggling with a throat problem. “It felt like someone was squeezing my throat. I was scared.” Christine went to the emergency room for help. The doctor suspected she might have a hole in her esophagus and severe acid reflex. She needed an endoscopy to confirm the diagnosis. She also needed a prescription. She had money for neither.

Christine managed her symptoms the best she could with over-the-counter medication and dietary changes. Still, she worried that she might have cancer. She started looking at websites like "Medibid," where doctors "bid" on procedures. Finally, she was able to get an endoscopy and laryngoscopy after her daughter started a GoFundMe(R) page and her coworkers held a fundraiser. The tests showed that she had two esophageal ulcers. Although she is relieved not to have cancer and is now getting the care she needs for the ulcers, she has other medical issues that continue to go untreated, including intermittent, temporary speech impairment related to a 2012 head injury.

"I AM AFRAID OF WHAT IS GOING TO COME OF THIS. I'M AFRAID THAT NOT TAKING CARE OF THE HOLE IN MY THROAT WILL TURN INTO CANCER. WHEN I FINALLY SAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR THE ENDOSCOPY, AND THEY TELL ME I HAVE CANCER, I WILL BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA BEGGING FOR MY LIFE. I HAVE A KID. I DON'T WANT TO DIE AT MY AGE."

- Christine

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