Ted and Alice

Ted and Alice showed up one night at the clinic several years ago. I swear – they were both blue. OK, maybe more of a gray-blue. Clearly in respiratory distress. Clearly not doing well at all. They scared us, and we are pretty used to seeing all kinds of things.

He was a farmer and worked part-time in a retail store; she was a farmer’s wife. They had no health insurance. It was the dead of the winter, and they had run out of money – for food, for heat and for medications.

They both had a history of asthma/COPD but had not had any medications for a while. They both had acute bronchitis. I don’t usually believe that we have “saved” someone’s life, but in this case… maybe. If they had not showed up at the clinic, they would have eventually showed up at the emergency room – in worse shape than they were here.

They both recovered and were long-time patients here. They made enough money that they did not qualify for Medicaid, but his job was part-time so he was not entitled to any health insurance.

She ultimately was determined to be disabled due to her respiratory status – she was on oxygen full-time.

Ted was one of the original Diabetic Clinic patients. He was as compliant as he could be. He came to the clinic each month, took the medications we gave him, checked his blood sugar and tried. Dietary habits are hard to change for people on limited incomes. He continued to farm, so he was active.

As I think about the success of the Affordable Care Act, Ted and Alice come to mind. We supported them while there was nothing else available, but now they have access to healthcare whenever they need it. They have both found a primary care provider that they like. Plus, Ted has had some of the preventive healthcare services that are not available to the uninsured.

Today, I can smile knowing that they are in a much better situation – and we helped them on the journey there.