I walked away from the health insurance industry one year ago after realizing that it was causing me more stress than security. Homeless, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and uterine fibroids, and living below poverty level, I called the Department of Social and Health Services and requested they cancel my assistance. The surprising result, I felt better. I lost 40 pounds, moved into permanent housing, and shared my journey in a documentary about my recovery from repeated exposures to violence. The stress of maneuvering through that system had been lifted.
Even though my health took a turn for the worse during my treatment of PTSD, and I applied for and began receiving Social Security Disability payments, I still don't have health benefits -- only a spot on a two-year waiting list.
I could feel angry and disappointed in a social system that I invested in for over 25 years of my working life, assuming that it would be there for me when I needed it. And I did. But then I decided to slowly lift myself out of the health care crisis by activating my will to change -- change my perspective. I decided to claim the liberty of Universal Health Care. And now that I've claimed it, there is no need to fight or continue aligning myself with industries that do not honor this liberty. I now focus on building the universal health care plan tailored to my individual needs, with me as the head negotiator of policies and practices, payment plans and providers.
I build my universal health care plan by first adjusting the definitions of two terms: insurance and the value of my life.
Webster's dictionary defines insurance as coverage by contract whereby one party guarantees another against a specific loss, a means of guaranteeing protection of safety. The health insurance I had didn't guarantee me this protection because it didn't include care or dissolved the options of care I needed most to effectively recover. They had all the power to choose, and I could only follow their directives. I've accepted the responsibility of guaranteeing my protection and safety by reclaiming the awareness that true security or in-sure-ance begins with and honors my personal choices in treatments.
According to an article last June in the Washington Post, the fall in the value of the dollar has also readjusted how the government assesses the worth of the typical American. While the Environmental Protection Agency values my life at $5-$8 million, I sure don't feel like I've been treated that way. And after reading this article, I flash back to my ancestors standing on auction blocks awaiting their sale and I visualize the sales books that listed the prices of men, women and children. I remember the mistake in assigning a dollar value to a human life and I decide: One human female, age 40, no children, currently disabled by PTSD, African, Irish, Native American, incredibly intelligent and talented. Value: priceless.
Without insurance, it is my responsibility to cover the cost of health care expenses and keep it within my budget. My resources initially included the typical exchange of cash only, I felt as limited as my $900 per month income. Challenge: Health care can be expensive. Solution: Know that I can afford it by engaging my choices, creativity, and connections to a strong community where I am empowered to network and negotiate.
The first thing I did was create my own Future Wellness Fund, similar to the tax-exempt Health Savings Account (HSA) that the federal government gives only to those with health insurance to be used for future health care needs. Instead of directing funds into insurance premiums, I place them in my wellness account, where 100 percent of my contributions go toward my health care needs. This skill of financial planning and investment gives me a sense of security that I used to get from health insurance companies.
To my list of resources to pay for health care, I've added the use of no-interest small credit lending, health care sponsorships, and the fair bartering of my personal skills and information. I've traded my health information for medical services and funds with researchers, and my talent for t-shirt design for a mental health session. I've also applied for and been awarded health care grants from community churches and organizations like Washington Women in Need. My payment plan also includes giving back to my community through volunteering to speak for small groups about my illness. Charity often improves my health tremendously.
Now I get to choose the people, the real people with real natural talent for healing with compassion and using their talents to serve our community. They want profit and progress for all and work in settings that cost them less in overhead expenses, thus reducing my costs. They work from their homes, from small community spaces, or they come to my home. They are not stressed out or pressured, and they control their payments and schedules directly. They often become friends.
I'm still building the basic foundation of my personal Universal Health Care Plan. I'm learning as I go about protecting myself from overpriced products, providers without compassion, and predatory billing with keen networking and negotiation skills and the creativity to discover options that fit my budget. Now that I'm not afraid to live without health insurance while suffering illness, I feel liberated and uplifted by the strength of my character.
I'm in community with over 47 million other Americans who are managing their lives without health insurance, and while some of us are recovering our health easier than others, we remain a powerful collective of people who have the opportunity to reflect that it can be done. Saying no to health insurance has empowered me to transform a perceived lack of access to health care from a tragedy into a triumph.