Huffington Magazine Issue 88 | Page 55

HUFFINGTON 02.16.14 TOO POOR FOR OBAMACARE ance — the second-highest of all the states behind Texas. In MiamiDade County, where Alphonse lives, the uninsured rate was an astonishing 34 percent in 2011, the most recent year county-level data were available. ‘I JUST TRY TO LIVE EVERY DAY’ Unable to afford medical care or insurance, Alphonse hasn’t followed up on the warning he received about his kidneys from a doctor treating a knee injury he suffered in 2011 while working as a security guard. Alphonse was told he needed to see a kidney specialist and start getting treatments, or he’d risk the condition worsening to the point he’d need dialysis or a transplant. “It’s extremely scary, but I try not to think about it. I just try to live every day because it’s what you have to do to survive,” Alphonse said. A few years ago, Alphonse broke his hand and faced a $1,000 emergency room bill that destroyed his credit. He’s afraid to rack up medical bills now. Even copayments as low as $20 at community health centers, which charge low-income patients on a sliding scale, are unaffordable, he said. He’s apply- “It’s kind of odd where an individual that has an opportunity to help millions of people in their own state, and they just totally refuse to do it.” ing for health benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs, but he may not meet the program’s eligibility rules. While hospitals can’t turn away patients in need of emerg V