#CoverageMatters: The ACA Helped Me Make My Side Gig My Main Gig

#CoverageMatters: The ACA Helped Me Make My Side Gig My Main Gig

January 12, 2017

By: Kathy Cano-Murillo, Phoenix, Arizona

I’m a creativepreneur. My goal is to encourage people to add creativity in their lives to reduce stress, express themselves and spend quality time with their family and friends. I call it spreading the gospel of glitter. And I’ve done it by sharing tutorials, business tips, videos and classes, as well as writing books and speaking across the country.
My husband is an artist and musician, and together, we have crafted a life following our passion of making, selling and teaching art. But we couldn’t run our business full time without the security of health insurance for our family.
Before the Affordable Care Act, I had researched health insurance plans on the private market and could not find one we could afford. Thanks to the ACA and the Health Insurance Marketplace, I was able to leave my full-time job with health benefits in 2015 to start my own business. My side gig became my main gig, and my business has thrived. The Marketplace plan was perfect for our budget and lifestyle. The first year, I was even able to cover my then 23-year-old daughter because of the law’s provision allowing adult children up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents’ plan. My children are now employed at full-time jobs that offer coverage.
Continuing coverage is important to us. My husband has high blood pressure and needs regular care and medications. With the tax credits, we were able to find a plan that costs $120 a month. We currently pay $35 a month for his prescriptions, which would skyrocket to $800 without our current Marketplace insurance. I’ve used my coverage to stay up to date on flu shots and checkups.
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