Nurse Patients:1
3/17/08
10:12 AM
Page 13
Tina Marino
works as an RN
but struggles
to maintain her
health because
she can't get
insurance.
By Lucia Hwang
Can't Taste
Her Own
Medicine
T
inaMarinohasbeenhavingatoughwinter
healthwise. In February, the 28-year-old got sick twice in just four
weeks and her illnesses were serious enough to warrant two trips to
the doctor. Because her full-time job doesn't provide her with health
insurance, she paid more than $100 out of pocket for the doctor visits,
and even more for the antibiotics she was prescribed. Marino has
tried to buy her own individual insurance plan, but hasn't had much
luck so far. Multiple carriers have rejected her for her irritable bowel
syndrome condition or specifically refuse to cover the medicine she
needs to treat it. One quoted her a policy with monthly premiums in
the hundreds of dollars and annual deductibles in the thousands.
Marino said she feels frustrated and unfairly discriminated against by
the insurance companies for her minor conditions. She doesn't know
whether she should stick with her current job, which is part of her
long-term career plans, or whether she should give up and find a different job where she can get group coverage. Oh, and Tina Marino is a
registered nurse.
It's a special irony when healthcare providers like registered nurses can't access the healthcare they need. Nurses are finding out the
hard way that caring for sick patients day in, day out doesn't exempt
them from being on the receiving end of insurance company runarounds, denials, and outrageous bills. Or in Marino's case, she can't
even get insurance. "Sometimes it makes me bitter," said Marino. "I'm
MARCH 2008
W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G
REGISTERED NURSE
13
