About AFC: First Person

Affordable, Quality Healthcare Should Be a Human Right

Jamie Braxton and her husband Greg at a Campaign to End AIDS rally.

By Jamie Braxton, AIDS Advocate

The governor’s Illinois Covered healthcare proposal can fundamentally change the lives of the 20,000 people in Illinois who are living with HIV/AIDS and without health insurance. I should know -- I’m one of them.

Because I lack health coverage, I can’t afford the twice-yearly pap smears recommended for women living with HIV/AIDS. After going 14 months without seeing a gynecologist, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2005. I was told I would need $17,000 worth of surgery to remove the cancer. I had no way to pay – I couldn’t get health insurance, literally, to save my life. After undergoing the surgery, I’m back in good health but deep in debt and have nowhere to turn.

While I get free HIV treatment and medication through the state, comprehensive preventative care, which could have caught my cancer early and possibly avoided expensive surgery, is beyond my reach. I want to do my part and pay my fair share – I’m not looking for a handout – but I have fallen through the cracks of a broken healthcare system.

I work 50 hours a week as a self-employed medical transcriptionist. My income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford paying for private health insurance. The lowest premium I’ve been quoted was $950 a month – more than my rent. Illinois Covered would give me access to the comprehensive healthcare that I need at a price I can afford. It would also give me peace of mind knowing that if something happens I can go to a doctor – making my future a healthy one.

Sadly, I fear short-sighted politics will prevent this future from becoming a reality. Access to affordable healthcare shouldn’t be a political issue, it’s a human one, and it’s time we recognize it as such.

AFC Applauds Governor's Health Plan