Part-time Worker at a Coffee Shop, 49 Insured

Interviewed February 2017

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

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At forty-two, Kerry was a self-employed massage therapist and yoga teacher. She could not afford medical insurance and so put off a recommended colonoscopy; the $1,500 out-of-pocket price tag was too high.

When the Affordable Care Act arrived five years later, Kerry was able to purchase coverage on the marketplace and went in for the colonoscopy she had delayed. The procedure revealed that Kerry had stage 3 colon cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes.

After an aggressive surgery and course of chemotherapy she is no longer able to work in her chosen field and instead works part-time as a barista. Nonetheless, she considers her recovery a miracle and is grateful for the ACA.