Family pulling through hardships
OAKLAND TWP — Shannon Gaiser has had a tough pregnancy, but it’s not just medical issues that made life difficult.
Her husband lost his job as a machinist in April 2013, and then she lost her job in May as a drug and alcohol therapist at the Gaiser Addiction Center. This caused them to lose both their income and medical insurance.
However, their situation is improving.
“Things are looking up,” said Gaiser, 37, of Oakland Township.
She was featured in a story in the Butler Eagle in September about how she could not find health insurance after she lost her job.
She applied for medical assistance from the state Department of Public Welfare in September, but she was told she made $900 too much per month from unemployment.
She had to pay roughly $2,000 out of pocket for one doctor’s visit in September.
However, the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, raised the income limit for people getting assistance, and she was able to get medical assistance starting in October.
Like during her last pregnancy, she has had to deal with thyroid issues and gestational diabetes. And she said her soon-to-be baby boy is larger than average.
She goes to the hospital twice a week for tests and checkups. Because of all the complications, she said her doctor’s visits could have totaled up to $50,000 without insurance.
The couple lost their unemployment insurance in December, so they had to use some of their retirement funds for expenses in January and February.
“January and February were a little rough, but we made it,” Gaiser said.
Her husband signed up for insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace, but he never picked out a plan. The couple was optimistic he would get a new job by the March 31 deadline to sign up for insurance, which he did.
“Very, very lucky,” said Gaiser, who noted that the plans available on the marketplace would have been too expensive without steady income.
Her husband began working full time again in March as a machinist for GA Industries in Cranberry Township.
With only one income, Gaiser said the family makes less money than when they both were on unemployment. But she said it is better to have income from a job than from unemployment.
She hopes to begin seeking a new job about eight weeks after she delivers her baby, and hopes to stay in the drug, alcohol and mental health counseling field.
“It’s hard to find a job when you’re pregnant,” Gaiser said.
She is scheduled to deliver her baby via C-section on April 21 at ACMH Hospital in Kittanning, but because of his large size, she said he may born sooner.
