Steve Ramirez describes himself as a nomad. Born in Nebraska, he spent his life moving from state to state for work, living in Texas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and even Beijing before finally settling with his family in South Carolina. Trained as a mechanical engineer and later working as a product manager, Steve built a […]
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Lori Lay, North Carolina
Lori Lay and her husband have lived in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where they have spent 30 years in this community raising three children and running two small businesses. Lori owns a childcare center, and her husband runs a landscaping company. Like millions of self-employed families, they rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace for […]
Jen S., Arizona
Jen S., a former teacher in Arizona, has always prioritized staying insured and maintaining her health. She grew up with a mother who was a nurse, and for most of her life she had stable employer-sponsored coverage through her teaching job. That stability began to unravel after she left the classroom. Jen had taught in […]
Wayne Riley, Colorado
For two years, Wayne, a 56-year-old living in Colorado with his wife, relied on marketplace insurance to protect their health, and their finances. Their monthly premium of $690 was high but manageable. That all changed when Wayne, a self-employed commercial cleaner, contacted his insurance agent to ask about the upcoming year. Wayne had heard rumors […]
Sara Goodrich, Maine
Sara Goodrich and her husband are both 44 and live in Maine. She works as a massage therapist, and he works as a carpenter. Because they are self-employed, they have relied on the Affordable Care Act for their health coverage for the last decade. She recalled, “We have used Obamacare since its inception really and I can […]
Darlene W., New York
After more than three decades in the classroom, Darlene W. thought she had done everything right. She built a career teaching in a small rural public school in New York State, retired with a pension, and found affordable health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace. For the past two years, she’s relied […]
ReShonda Young, Iowa
ReShonda Young runs a health food store in Waterloo, Iowa and relies on coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace. “The Affordable Care Act and the premium tax credits have been really important to me,” she said. A widow and cancer survivor, she depends on affordable insurance to stay protected. “The premium tax credit had […]
Amy Lynn Smith, Michigan
Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Amy Lynn Smith of Michigan said she would break into a cold sweat every year when she opened her annual insurance renewal letter. As a self-employed woman with Type 1 diabetes, her premiums were exorbitant – closing in on $1,400 a month in 2013. They were increasing $100 a […]
Tony Gonzales, Pennsylvania
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 […]
Brick Williams, Utah
Brick Williams grew up in Cedar Hills, Utah where he has built a career as a full-time guitar teacher for the past 24 years. Currently, he teaches “anywhere between 55 and 60 students a week,” adding, “It’s a lot of driving and a lot of lessons. It’s a full-time job.” When Brick was 19 years […]