When her husband was injured and lost his factory job, Elaine’s family was suddenly down to one income and lost their employer-sponsored insurance.
Elaine and her husband remain uninsured and they are afraid of what would happen if either of them got sick. Her employer does not offer health insurance and she makes too much money to qualify for Alabama’s Medicaid program – a family of four must earn less than $387 per month to qualify. But because she makes less than $2,145 per month she also makes too little to qualify for tax credits to help them afford private health insurance. This means Elaine and her husband are in the “coverage gap.”
Elaine is thankful that Medicaid provides health coverage for her children, and it offers her “a big peace of mind” to know her kids are covered. She just wishes she and her husband had the same peace of mind. “To be able to provide for your kids, you need to keep yourself going as well. You just have to save and choose what ailments you can look into. That’s something people take for granted when you are covered.”
Special thanks to Fort Payne Pediatrics for their partnership.