Meet Donna Jenkins
SEIU Local 1199WOK

"My name is Donna Jenkins, and I am a home healthcare provider in Columbus, Ohio.

"I recently divorced which left me without health insurance. As a healthcare worker, I realize the importance of having insurance coverage yet, at the age of 61, I just can't afford the cost of premiums.

"Despite taking good care of myself, eating right and exercising, few insurance companies are willing to cover a woman my age at an affordable price. In fact, I've been quoted rates as high as $3,000 per month for coverage similar to what I previously had. I only make $35,000 a year so at that rate I would literally have to spend all of my income on health insurance.

"I have foregone my yearly exams fearing that if something were found I would be unable to afford treatment and then be subject to pre-existing condition clauses with insurance I may get in the future.

"Being uninsured is, unfortunately, a stress I am forced to live with. Passing healthcare reform would allow me to live knowing that I can acquire access to healthcare I so desperately need."

How reform will help Donna
Under the healthcare reform bills in both the House and Senate, Donna will be able to find affordable coverage that includes prescription drugs and other benefits that are typical in most employer plans. Under the House bill, Donna would pay approximately $292 per month in premiums (10 percent of income), and her out-of-pocket costs would be limited to $4,500 annually.

Donna's costs would be slightly lower under the Senate bill. Her premiums would be roughly $278 per month (9.8 percent of income) and her annual out-of-pocket costs could not exceed approximately $4,000.

Instead of forgoing necessary checkups, screenings and prescriptions while she waits to become eligible for Medicare, workers like Donna would instead be eligible for affordable coverage under both the House and Senate healthcare reform bills.