My name is Karen Vicari.  I am a former attorney.  I got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis only a couple of years after I passed the bar exam.  Because of my rheumatoid arthritis, I am uninsurable.  I can’t get any form of private insurance.  I was in the county system.  I was on a major risk plan. 

And the big problem I had was, without insurance, I can’t access the medications that I need to be able to work.  So it really became a vicious cycle.  I did finally get to the point where I was able to work part-time.  I was able to acquire insurance.  And it took several years to find the medication that works for me.  There only seems to be one right now that works most appropriately for me.

Without that medication, I am really treading a thin line.  Without that medication, if I can’t access it, I will not be able to work.  And it’s very frightening to me to always be in that situation.  It’s become clear to me through my struggles that we need to ensure that all people have access to insurance.  It’s the people that need it the most who are getting denied, and those are the ones who we must ensure can access it.