For more stories about how the ACA is helping New Yorkers get covered, see our full booklet: The ACA is Working: New Yorkers Tell Their Stories of Getting Covered

Age: 48
Enrolled in: QHP, with financial assistance
Final premium: $108
Before the ACA, Karen was uninsured for several years and her health concerns stacked up.
Now, she can take care of her critical health needs and focus on raising her son.

Karen, a single mother from Ulster County, lost her job along with her health insurance six years ago. Since then, she has paid out-of-pocket for all of her son’s and her own medical costs. Karen has a liver condition, but while she was uninsured, much of her care just had to wait. After the passage of the ACA, Karen saw an opportunity to get affordable coverage for her family. She got help from a local Navigator at the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York to sign up for a plan that will only cost her $108 monthly after a $222 tax credit. After six years, Karen can finally get care she needs for her liver condition, and get preventive checkups for her family, without worrying about huge medical bills.

“The health care law has given me a chance at affordable health care.”