Kathy SampsonI’ve been a self-employed child care provider for 15 years. I hold a degree in elementary education but because my Crohn’s disease causes chronic diarrhea, I am unable to work alone in a classroom. My 19 year old daughter attends college and works part-time. Neither of us have health insurance.

We’re stuck in the middle because we make too much money to qualify for most assistance programs and too little to afford private health care insurance, especially because my Crohn’s disease is a pre-existing condition which makes my premiums even higher. A plan with minimal coverage would have had a $2,000 deductible for a hospital visit and $3,500 a year in premiums. That plan paid $20.00 towards a doctor's office visit, and only $5.00 for each prescription. Most of the plans I have looked at won't cover anything associated with my Crohn's disease for the first five years. So, I decided that it would be better for me just to pay for our costs out of pocket. But that’s not an easy decision.

Recently I took my daughter to the doctor. She had a stuffy nose, slight cough, sore throat and swollen glands. I had to pay $104 for an office visit and test. All they told us was to go home, drink fluids and take ibuprofen. For $104 we got nothing. Now, two weeks later, she has a full-blown sinus infection, and needs to go back to the doctor. She's suffering through it, because we can't afford another office visit right now.

Last year, I cut my hand while preparing dinner.  I couldn't get the bleeding stopped.  I went to the emergency room at my local hospital.  I was at the hospital less than twenty minutes, and the doctor spent 5 minutes putting a stitch in my cut.  The total bill was over $800.00.  I removed the stitches myself a week later, saving myself another $95.00.  I told the doctor that next time I cut myself, I would boil thread and sterilize a needle and sew myself up!