Anita Geiger is a mother, a student, and an employee from Conway. She hasn’t had any health coverage in the past six years and she’s made sacrifices to keep her daughter healthy.
“You look at your child’s face and you want to do everything you can for them,” Anita says. “So you usually give to a child before you take care of yourself. I’d say in the six years that I haven’t had any kind of coverage at all, it’s been really tough.”
Anita is one of 250,000 Arkansans who are eligible for the Private Option, a bipartisan solution passed during the last legislative session that uses federal dollars to buy private insurance plans for low-income Arkansans. She’s one of nearly100,000 who have ALREADY SIGNED UP for coverage. That coverage will be taken away if lawmakers don’t vote to approve funding for a program they’ve already supported by an overwhelming majority. Some lawmakers are wavering on their commitment to making sure all Arkansans have a shot at affordable health coverage and the peace of mind that comes with it. With the fiscal session getting underway this week, it’s time they heard from you. Click here for all the information you needand to find out how to contact your representatives.
Anita, for one, hopes lawmakers vote to continue the coverage she’s so happy to have.
“Our family isn’t looking to use the Private Option on a long-term basis. While I’m in school, it’s helping me right now. And when I get a job and get a career where I can afford insurance I’ll be happy to pay for it. As a mom, I give everything I can for my kids and my family. Now that I do have the Private Option, I’m actually seeing something being given back to me, it’s an amazing feeling. It’s pretty great.”