Denied Marriage and Uninsured
By Teri, Cardington, Ohio
My partner and I have been together for two years. She has a job with great benefits, including family health coverage. But it doesn’t cover me or my young daughter, who lives with us.
I had previously worked for a company for 14 years, but I developed problems with my blood pressure. It got so high that my doctor thought I would have a stroke at any time. I was off work so long that my sick leave ran out. I was then terminated and lost my insurance.
I have not been able to find any health insurance for both me and my daughter with an affordable monthly premium. If my partner and I could get legally married, we would be covered by her work benefits.
For now, I cannot afford to go to all the specialists that I am supposed to be seeing to get my blood pressure under control. We are just hoping for the best.
Feb. 9, 2005