There was a wounded look in her eyes, one that stays with me still. 

She and her husband both lost their jobs within the last few months and, along with them, their group health insurance policies. She stood next to me at the pharmacy, trying to get a prescription filled. 

We were both waiting for problems to be straightened out and the pent up emotion was evident. She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t understand. It’s the same exact policy, except that we’re paying the premiums. It wasn’t a problem before, but now that we’re on COBRA, everything we do gets questioned or rejected. We have to fight every time.” 

They had only been on COBRA for a few months, and were relieved that, as part of the stimulus package, the usual 18 month coverage period would be extended. She went on about her search for work in the hope that it would include employer-based health coverage. 

Then she was told that her COBRA coverage has been canceled. “Sorry, they don’t have you in the system.” Her eyes locked into mine as the weight of those words sunk in. “I know I’m covered. See what I mean? I have to fight… again.”

I watched her walk away, insurance card and cell phone in hand, and I wondered how many hours she would spend before she could pick up that prescription. Having used up my own COBRA benefits some time ago, I knew the fear and frustration she was feeling. I knew about the pointless runaround, the voice mail purgatory, and the waisted hours spent trying to get what I paid for. My own COBRA payments were staggering, but nothing compared to the shock of landing in the individual market with a pre-existing condition. 

To have the “privilege” of health care coverage tied to the workplace simply does not work. With skyrocketing costs, fewer employers are offering health benefits. As more people fall out of the range of COBRA protection — if they could afford it in the first place — options dwindle. The individual market is not kind to those with pre-existitng conditions. 

Lose your job, lose your health care. That’s pretty cold.

The incident I speak of was not a matter of life and death. It is simply another example of the needless emotional stress and financial strain we must endure in order to access health care. It is impossible to quantify the human cost. What’s really missing is a human face.