Tony Gonzales: Fighting to Stay Covered While Battling Cancer

Tony Gonzales lives in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and youngest daughter. After moving to the state in 2010, he worked as a contractor while earning his doctoral degree. When his company laid off 18% of its workforce, he shifted to teaching full time.

As a college professor since 2010, Tony has either lacked employer-based or cost-effective coverage and depends on the marketplace for health insurance. “For folks like me that are adjunct professors, contract, part time workers, small business owners, we rely on the marketplace so much for our insurance and trying to make this work affordably,” he said.

Enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs), created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), help Tony afford his plan through Pennsylvania’s state marketplace, Pennie. Those credits make a gold-level plan possible for his family. His wife, who has lived with chronic illness her entire life and is now considered handicapped, depends on that coverage. “It’s really important for us to find a good quality health plan that has little to no deductibles,” he said. Their 80/20 gold plan costs more, but it provides the stability his family needs.

“These subsidies really helped us offset the cost of the insurance that we pay every month,” Tony said. The couple pays $234 a month, while their daughter, who also has a disability, maintains her own plan through the state. “Right now, we’re kind of in between,” he said. “We’re not at the point where we’re struggling every day, but we’re definitely not part of the 1%. We’re considered middle class where everything breaks even every month.”

Rising costs make staying afloat even harder. Inflation has driven up expenses and budgets are tight. “Food prices for at least our family have grown by about 14% from what I’ve been able to estimate,” Tony said. “Trying to maintain that same income while expenses increase not only in food but with utilities, insurances, and other expenses that we incur each and every month, it’s really, really tough to get ahead.”

Then came another challenge. Two years ago, Tony was diagnosed with stage four thymic carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. “According to my oncologists, they only see a few hundred of these cases are diagnosed each year,” he said. He now travels an hour and a half to Pittsburgh for care and has endured chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and multiple surgeries.

Even with comprehensive coverage, the medical bills keep piling up. With enhanced premium tax credits set to expire and premiums continuing to rise, maintaining their plan feels out of reach. “I personally incur a $7,500 out-of-pocket coinsurance. And with the family, it’s $15,000,” Tony said. On their tight budget, that cost each year is overwhelming. “If these subsidies go away, we’ll have to choose between paying for health insurance or basic necessities like utilities and food,” he said. “We need this plan for my health, and especially for my wife’s.” Without the ePTCs, he says, their ability to stay covered would be out of reach.

When Tony’s doctors urged him to stop working to focus on treatment, he couldn’t bring himself to walk away. “My oncologist told me, ‘Tony, you really should consider resigning so you can focus on your treatment.’ But I said, ‘No. I love my career. I want to contribute.’” So, Tony pushes on, continuing to teach through chemotherapy.

As he continues to work, his health suffers. “I’m actually having to work more and compromise my treatments and their effectiveness because I have to keep up with expenses,” Tony said. The balance feels impossible, protecting his health, maintaining his insurance, and keeping his family financially stable.

Like so many middle-class Americans, Tony isn’t asking for luxury, he’s asking for the chance to stay afloat. “I just want to keep teaching, to provide for my family, and to have a fighting chance, to live the American Dream without losing my health in the process.”

Tony wants lawmakers to understand what’s at stake. “I invite you to talk to me,” he said. “I invite you to sit down with me. And I am more than happy to share my budget. We will break it down and I will show you exactly what we’re paying and what we can and cannot afford.” He asks Congress to protect the support families like his depend on. “I need you to pull through for Americans like me that are contributing, that are paying our premiums and our health insurance,” he said. “We need those subsidies just like you feel that the rich need those tax breaks so they can buy another yacht or another trip into space.”

Two years into his battle with cancer, Tony keeps teaching, paying bills and holding on to hope. “Quite honestly and transparently, I don’t want to die,” he said. “I want to be given a fighting chance to beat this cancer … But I can’t beat this without your help.”