Health Care for Health Care Workers

A testimonial from Iya’Negra L., a certified nursing assistant in Maine:

I am a certified nurse aide who has worked in several different nursing homes. In 2004, I had health insurance coverage for six months, which covered my three girls and me. It cost $174 per pay period, but this became too expensive for me. After rent and all of the other basic household expenses I wasn’t making ends meet. So I dropped the health insurance.

A week later I was kicked in the abdomen by an Alzheimer’s resident. I started having complications from the kick. I had constant bleeding and intense pain, and I was getting sick at work. A doctor told me I had fast-growing fibroid tumors. He said I needed surgery immediately and that it would cost $15,000, but I had no way to pay.

My employer said there was nothing they could do because I dropped my health insurance. I applied for Medicaid but was told that I didn’t qualify because I was a working person. I was ineligible for any type of medical assistance, so I didn’t have the surgery at that time. This led to a series of difficult health problems, which kept me away from work for many weeks and put a huge strain on my family.