Comments Delivered at Press Conference on Healthcare Plan Illinois Covered

Good morning. My name is Martese Thomas and I’m a Springfield resident. I have been living with HIV for the past fifteen years.

I’m here today because I want people to see my face and I want people to hear my story. Like more than one million other Illinois residents, I don’t have health insurance. And because of an injury that has left my back in constant pain, I have been unemployed since 2005.

As a result, I am barely scraping by, and paying for health care is one of the biggest stresses in my life.

While the AIDS Drug Assistance Program has been a lifeline for me, saving me nearly $1,200 a month on HIV/AIDS medications, it’s only half the equation. I still have to pay out of my own pocket for all of my other prescriptions.

It’s the same story if I visit a doctor for my bad back, or my high blood pressure.

While organizations have helped me out here and there, I can’t count on that help forever. I often stay awake at night wondering if I will be able to see a doctor or if I just have to wait it out and hope I’ll feel better.

It shouldn’t have to be this way. If I could afford the physical therapy and tests to treat my back injury, I could return to work.

Instead, I’m stuck in this constant cycle of trying to get into the free clinic to see a doctor only to be prescribed a treatment or a medication that I can’t afford.

I always hear politicians talking about the problem but our Governor has stood up and offered a solution.

I hope people will listen and support this plan. No one should have to go without the healthcare they need.

Illinois Covered website

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