Lindsay’s daughter is probably the only seven-year old in the world who loves the dentist. When Lindsay and her husband enrolled in new private insurance last year, they discovered it was more expensive than they’d hoped and didn’t cover dental care. So when the time came for their daughter’s usual six month dentist visit, they couldn’t afford it—leading to a very upset seven-year-old.
Lindsay is a Planned Parenthood volunteer, and has been making outreach calls since September to help people find out how the Affordable Care Act can benefit them. She realized she should take her own advice and look into her insurance options on MNsure. With the help of a Planned Parenthood Navigator, she found a plan that gave her family better coverage for the same price they were already paying. The plan covers her daughter’s dental care, and it also allows for Lindsay and her husband to get dental coverage separately through the exchange.
Now when Lindsay calls people to talk about MNsure, she tells them from personal experience what the health care law means to her. And she makes sure her friends and acquaintances, even her daughter’s ballet teacher, know what’s available.
Spreading the news about the new health care law has been rewarding. “I’ve had people say to me, ‘I have pre-existing conditions and I haven’t had insurance for ten years – this is the first time I’ve got hope that that’s going to change,’” Lindsay says. “People are really excited. And they’re really grateful. Even the people who have insurance say, ‘Thank you for calling. Thank you for making sure that we’re covered.’”