Persistence Pays Off for Uninsured Alaskan
Despite all the problems with HealthCare.gov, a few dozen Alaskans have managed to enroll in a health plan through the marketplace. Lara Imler is one of them.
Imler, a 37-year-old hair stylist in Anchorage, ditched her office job as an accountant in 2004. She says she loves making people feel better about themselves and is a lot happier cutting hair than she was sitting in front of a computer. But she does miss one big thing about her old job: “I had health insurance, and it was wonderful.”
Even without health insurance, Imler spends a lot of time in doctors’ offices. She has Hashimoto’s disease, a thyroid disorder. The treatments and blood tests she needs are expensive, but not as expensive as buying insurance in Alaska’s individual market.
“Being self-employed, getting my premium at anything reasonable wasn’t happening,” she says. “I think my last quote was $1,200 a month for myself.”
More: Persistence Pays Off for Uninsured Alaskan : Shots - Health News : NPR