Dear Mr. Carson,
I am your constituent, I voted for you, and I am very proud of your representation of our district of Indiana.
I am also a friend of your home mosque, Nur Allah, in Indianapolis. Below, I will include a link to a wonderful story of discovery between Imam Mikal Saahir and me. We were on the cover of the Indianapolis Star on February 20, 2010. Our families share close ties, rooted in slavery, in Limestone County, AL, where Mikal’s parents and my parents and I were born.
As your constituent, I'm writing to tell you why I'm such a strong supporter of health reform. My story about health care is a desperate concern for my own family.
I am one of many women of an age, 50+ (I am 52), unemployed, searching for work, and unable to afford health insurance. When I moved to Indianapolis in 2007, to be with my new family, I knew I had a job here for one year at Christian Theological Seminary. During that one year, I had excellent health insurance, with generous benefits. Since July of 2008, I have had no insurance.
I have an academic background, but in a field that is very narrowly defined, Pastoral Care and Counseling. The impact of the economy upon institutions of higher learning have made it practically impossible to find work teaching in my field.
When I began the job search, in 2007, while I was on a limited one-year contract as Interim Associate Academic Dean at CTS, I was warned that a woman over the age of 50 could expect to be in the job search process for an average of 18 months. I passed that mark last December, and still, I have continued to search without success. And, I continue to be without health insurance. For a very brief time, I was employed at a very low wage, and had coverage, but when that position ended, I could not afford the cost of COBRA.
I have applied to Wishard Health Advantage and am waiting to hear from them about my eligibility. When I consider my career prior to moving to Indiana, the work and the benefits, I feel very awkward applying for insurance that covers the poor, even though I suppose I have to realize that I am now poor. I have a place to live with family who love me and care for me. In that I have a roof over my head, and food to eat, I am not poor; but, in terms of earning my living at a job that provides not just an income, but self-esteem, I am devastated. I have spent all of my savings.
I am capable of earning a lot of money, with companies or institutions that would offer excellent benefits. Meanwhile, I could be taking the place of someone who needs the coverage more than I do. Yet, this seems to be my only recourse during this period of unemployment (do you hear my expectation, that I will work again in my field?). This hope, for coverage by Wishard Health Advantage, is my beacon against drowning in debt if I should need it.
Fortunately, my health is very good. I have no major pre-existing conditions. As I continue to age without coverage, unable to afford the basics of preventive medicine, I am monitoring my diet and exercise, trying to avoid the need for medical care. I do worry, however, because I have not had the essentials of mammogram and annual physical exams and check-ups recommended for a woman my age.
For the minor conditions for which I do need medication, I have been blessed to receive free for a limited time, from a drug company, a medication that would otherwise cost over $150.00/month. That prescription will expire soon. I have another generic prescription that I am blessed to be able to purchase for $5.00/month at the Kroger pharmacy. If I do qualify for Wishard Health Advantage, both medications will cost the same, $5.00/month/prescription, from Wishard pharmacies.
I wish to emphasize two factors. One, I am in many ways a person of privilege. I have an excellent education (Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University). I have known good success as an employee all my working life. I taught in my field for seven years in Ohio, prior to moving to Indianapolis.
Secondly, I am "a woman of a certain age" in which job opportunities are, obviously, very limited. When I went to orientation and training at the Work One center, an employment counselor advised me to do two things:
1) downplay my level of education
2) disguise my age
I learned to prepare a résumé that has no specific dates of employment and no reference to my academic career, so all an employer knows is that I do have a bachelor's degree. I do not provide the dates of my education completions so that my age could not be calculated. Both of these pieces of advice are uncomfortable because they do not reflect the full reality of my background.
I have been involved in a full-time job of seeking employment. Each week, I receive postings of openings, and I apply to the ones that seem to align with my talents and training. In the past three years, I have had one call from an agency that screens potential employees from corporations in Indianapolis.
I have sent my academic credentials to many colleges and universities in Central Indiana. To date, I have had no interviews. Thanks to my one year contract at CTS, I have been invited to teach on an adjunct basis. One course in the spring semester and one course in the fall semester are the extent of my employment as an adjunct. I am deeply grateful for this chance to use my skills and earn some money for my family ($6,200/year).
With this income I earn, I hope to qualify for Wishard Health Advantage. I will be deeply grateful if I qualify. If not, I do not know what will happen to me and my family if I experience sickness, injury, or any other kind of medical need.
I hope the health care bill will pass and change will begin for me and countless other women over 50 who are unable to do what we want to do: work with our skills, and manage medical care when we are unable to find a job. I hope that Wishard Health Advantage will extend to me while I am in this period of unemployment. If it does not, for whatever reason, I will be in deep despair and will live in fear of the welfare of my family.
I ask that you help me and others by supporting health care reform. I am hopeful that we will have a national plan that includes all citizens of Indianapolis, and that covers all persons in our country.
Please see my message to you, along with the stories and photos of other Americans from your district and across the nation, at http://my.barackobama.com/HereFor
Here is a link to the story of the first encounter between Mikal Saahir and me, one year ago this month.
Your constituent,
Anne G. McWilliams
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