ACA Success Stories: Carol from Port Aransas

As a songwriter and musician in Nashville and in Texas, I always worked side jobs to make ends meet. Until the Affordable Care Act, I rarely made enough money to afford insurance. Yearly checkups didn’t happen, and I would go years between mammograms – which are recommended annually for women starting at age 45. I was taking risks. I was gambling my  health would be good.  

Thanks to the ACA, and because of the mandate that everyone must be on a plan, I got insurance at the age of 61. I found out I had breast cancer a week after I signed up. I think how horribly wrong things could have gone without the ACA—if I'd discovered I had breast cancer and then tried to get insurance on the private market.

The ACA covered almost everything — surgery, anesthesia, post-operative doctor's visits and almost 100 percent of my medications. After I recovered from my lumpectomy I had four weeks of radiation.

The Affordable Care Act saved me from complete financial devastation. Although I'm now in remission, I worry about what will happen if Congress votes to repeal the ACA. I may no longer qualify for insurance, or if I do I may be required to pay a lot more for the same care I received under the ACA.  If that happens, I won't be able to afford it.  And I know I’m not alone. Millions of us are worried about how we’ll survive without healthcare as affordable and accessible as the ACA.

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The Cover Texas Now Coalition is looking for stories like Carol’s. We’d like to know how the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid have helped you and your family. Are you willing to share your story with us? If so, please visit this page and tell us how these programs have affected you.