Amy Bielawski: A Small Business Owner Who Relies on Affordable Coverage

At 60, Amy Bielawski has spent decades building her small business, Hare-Brained Productions, while making her home in Tucker, Georgia, with her three pets. For much of her adult life, she had no health coverage at all. Since turning 18 in 1983, she has lived without insurance for around 36 years, relying on county health systems and clinics that often left her feeling like she was struggling on her own.

Amy briefly gained access to care through the Kaiser Bridge Program from 2011 to 2013. She tried to enroll in the Affordable Care Act in 2014, but her coverage was canceled, and despite her records, the marketplace could not confirm it. Brokers told her she could not enroll if she took deductions on her tax return, leaving her without any options. Once again, she went without coverage.

Her first consistent health insurance began in 2021, marking the first time in her life she has had ongoing coverage for several years in a row. For most of her ACA enrollment, Amy relied on bronze plans, which offered little more than an annual physical. Her current ACA plan is Expanded Bronze, but it has still expanded her benefits to include dental and eye care, which she had never had before. “I wouldn’t say those are great plans, but I guess it’s better than nothing that I had for most of my life,” she explained.

Amy worries about the future of the Premium Tax Credits, which have made her coverage affordable. “It’ll be sad if we have no credits, and then this just goes away, and then how long do we wait for somebody to implement that back again? Three and a half years?” She is doubtful that the current administration has the needs of health care consumers on their agenda.

Amy has long dealt with health challenges, including thyroid issues and fibroids. She struggled for years to find doctors who would take her concerns seriously. “When your hair’s falling out and you gain 20 pounds in a month, you know something’s wrong. Trying to find somebody…that understands what’s going on with me and is willing to do the labs to figure it out, was always a struggle.” She also shared her frustration in arguing with doctors to get them to perform the necessary tests or prescribe the medications she needs.

She is currently able to go through the drug manufacturer for her thyroid medication, but even that requires annual doctor visits and paperwork. “Even though the manufacturer covers it, you still have to have a doctor fill out the forms and you still have to go see the doctor and get labs done to do that. You have to pay the doctor your money for your labs so they will sign off on the paperwork and send it back in and then cross your fingers.”

Amy also described frustrations with coverage limits and billing. “When you go to get your labs, the annuals, which should be covered, suddenly they decide they’re not covering this one and that one. You have to fight with them and ask your doctor to code it so they will cover it. While you’re sitting there getting stabbed by the technician, she will look at the list and say, ‘They’re not going to cover this and this. Do you want to pay?’ Well, do I have the money? Maybe not.”

Amy’s work as a small business owner can add to financial uncertainty. “I’m in a luxury business, and when people are freaking out about the economy, they stop buying luxuries like entertainment,” she said. Some months, her business earns very little. “We’re going into the busy season, which is good, but there’s no knowing what it’s going to look like, especially by January.”

She emphasizes the importance of affordable coverage for people in Georgia who cannot afford premiums. “Some of us who are old and still needing coverage and can’t afford hundreds of dollars a month to just have insurance, we need help there,” she said.

Amy acknowledges that even with numerous flaws in the system, she values the stability her coverage provides. “I guess it’s just about being prepared. Even if I haven’t used it this year, I have it. That matters,” she said.