BREWSTER, Wash. – In the small town of Brewster, a family is grappling with a difficult decision between sustaining their business and maintaining their health care coverage.
Dave McNamara, the sole employee at Grovers Building Supply, has been part of his family’s business since 1949.
When he tried to renew his health insurance this year, he was shocked to discover his monthly premiums would increase from about $400 to nearly $900. Additionally, he would face a $6,000 deductible, triple the amount from the previous year.
“The rates were over double. And you start talking about a simple 20-dollar-an-hour job in a small community, and your health insurance is gonna be a third of your income all of a sudden? It’s a crisis that we just couldn’t afford,” McNamara said.
Faced with the same predicament as many others in rural Washington and across the country, Dave let his insurance expire at the end of the year. Currently, he has no plan in place if health care becomes necessary.
“A basic wage income in rural America, you know, that’s your grocery bill or your car payment, or your ability to survive. That’s where we’re at, just survive,” he said.
Last month, the U.S. House approved a bill to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years with a 230 to 196 vote. The Senate took up the bill a week ago, but there has been no further word on its progress.
