Darrell Allen Roth, an Omaha native, is a familiar face in his neighborhood. Darrell has been working in the salvage business for over 20 years, and after learning the trade with a local company, he set out on his own in 2005.
Since becoming self-employed, Darrell realized how expensive health insurance have gotten for those who need to purchase coverage on their own. Darrell doesn’t have insurance and recently experienced a health crisis that drained life savings. He is now working as much as he can, but his health limitations don’t allow him to work as much as he’d like or as much as he needs to pay his bills and let him reach retirement as soon as he’d originally planned.
Darrell is one of about 90,000 Nebraskans in the “coverage gap,” being unable to afford private health insurance but also not being eligible for Medicaid.
Calling himself “one of the lucky ones,” Darrell says “Medicaid should be for anyone who can’t afford insurance.”
If Nebraskans were able to vote this fall to expand Medicaid, our neighbors like Darrell would be able to get healthy enough to achieve financial stability and not see their life savings eaten away by doctor’s visits. If Darrell were able to get the treatments he needs, he says he would like to be more involved in local causes he’s passionate about, including mentoring children.
“I want to be happy,” Darrell said. “I do what I can, and I want to do more.”
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We want your help. Sign up to join Insure The Good Life and you can sign a petition, volunteer, or otherwise support the fight for Nebraskans to be able to vote for a healthier future this fall.
Together, we can help 90,000 hard-working Nebraskans like Darrell finally get the health coverage they need.