Michael Timothy Danforth, 33, UNINSURED/ INSURED, Deceased
Interviewed Michael's mother, June 2017
(oil and broken mirror on linen, 40 ins. x 30 ins.)
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Michael Timothy Danford was born with a exstrophy of the bladder, a serious anomaly that required multiple corrective surgeries and would require continuous monitoring throughout his life and put him at high risk for colon cancer as an adult. The kind of uninterrupted preventive and comprehensive care Mike needed to live a healthy and productive life as an adult would be nearly impossible to get if he were uninsured. And yet, in his early twenties, that's exactly where he found himself.
Having aged out of his parents' plan, Mike tried to get insurance on his own. However, no policy would cover anything related to his congenital disorder. It was a "pre-existing condition."
Uninsurable, Mike lacked access to regular colonoscopies. After years of subpar and insufficient care, Mike was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 30. A fierce advocate for her son, Mike's mother eventually got him in to see doctors at Duke University who agreed to treat him and help him get on Medicaid. To qualify, Mike had to divorce his wife and move in with his mother.
If Mike had been able to purchase insurance, he would have been able to get the colonoscopies he needed. If he had been able to get Medicaid under an Affordable Care Act expansion, his colonoscopies would have cost taxpayer's about $1000 a year. Either way, Mike likely would have survived. Instead, in the end, Mike's care cost taxpayers nearly a million dollars, and despite all attempts to save his life, Mike died at the age of thirty-three.
