Fourteen percent of Tennesseans are uninsured. Marthe Cumming, of Nashville, finally found health insurance but the price is steep and the coverage minimal. Photo by Tamara Reynolds

Summary:
• 14 percent of Tennesseans lack health insurance.
• Only 54 percent of Tennesseans receive health insurance through an employer, down from 62 percent in 2000.
• AARP is gathering stories of health care needs.

When Marthe Cumming got laid off in 2007, she thought she’d surely be on a new employer’s health care plan long before her 18-month COBRA benefit expired. But Cumming, 60, ended up with a temporary job without benefits and found herself on the open market for health insurance.

With the clock ticking, Cumming applied to one insurer after another, but each told her she was uninsurable. The reason: Though Cumming is generally healthy­­—arthritis and mild high blood pressure are her only ailments—at 5 feet 4 inches, she weighs 295 pounds, effectively locking her out of the private insurance market.

By January, with just two months of COBRA left, Cumming, who lives in Nashville, found herself frustrated, stressed and increasingly concerned.

“It was frightening to think that I might not be able to buy medical insurance,” she said.

When she finally found a company to accept her, the guaranteed issue policy covered very little. For a $541-a-month premium, it covers only two doctor visits per year and has a $3,500 deductible. She took it primarily as protection against a health catastrophe.

Cumming is not alone. As Congress debates health care reform for the first time in more than a decade, 14 percent of Tennesseans are uninsured and countless more are underinsured.

Several factors contribute to the health care struggles people face. Today 54 percent of Tennesseans receive health insurance through their employer, down from 62 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, there are limited options for insurance: Two companies account for 62 percent of the market.

One result is that Tennessee has the nation’s highest number of bankruptcies per capita, most due to health care costs.

“We need to find a way to have accessible, affordable, quality health care,” said Patrick Willard, advocacy director for AARP Tennessee. AARP is lobbying members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation and gathering stories of residents’ health care experiences.

Change can’t come soon enough for Jim Donaldson. Health insurance premiums for him and his seven employees skyrocketed 70 percent in the last four years. Meanwhile, the deductible for the plan grew to $2,500 and copayments rose to $35 per doctor visit.

Donaldson, 60, believes in providing health care to his employees at the Knoxville shop where they repair antique car parts. But as costs grow, he’s been forced to pass on a larger share of the burden each year to his employees. He and his employees now each pay about 50 percent of the premium. If costs continue to increase, he may not be able to offer the benefit at all.

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