Jennifer H. from Pittsburgh

Jennifer H. is a direct care worker who is just 21 years old and has cancer. She was diagnosed in late 2007.  Hearing the “C” word is devastating to anyone but hit Jennifer extra hard because she is so young.

Jennifer has dealt with the situation very well and has responded to all the treatment. Her dilemma now is she is not able to get the health coverage she desperately needs. She has tried to obtain coverage on her own but that has been unaffordable for her. Her employer, Superior Home Care, offers coverage but has a limit of $10,000 and will deny her coverage for cancer for one year because the cancer is "a preexisting condition". The State of Pennsylvania will not help because she works full time.

She has even gone as far as to pay an insurance broker to find her coverage; that also ended in a failed result.

Jennifer is a very active young lady who loves her job and takes pride in providing the best care for all the clients she serves. Her tears come out of desperation because she is faced with the choice of her health or her career. Her supervisor said this industry will be losing a wonderful asset if she would be forced to walk away. Given the worker shortages we are facing, Pennsylvania cannot afford to lose this quality caregiver.

The Superior Home Care agency has always offered some type of health insurance, first mini-medical because it was all they could get, then a full blown Aetna HMO plan (which no one could afford), now they are back to a mini-medical. This is all the agency can offer because the workers cannot afford the premiums – and as the employer they cannot afford to subsidize them. So, as an agency they are stuck – offering what they casn even though it is not adequate.