Family Spotlight:
Takia and Jo
Takia, 30, is an administrative assistant for a hospital laundry services company. Jo, 38, is a Baltimore city bus driver for the Maryland Transit Authority. They live in Baltimore and have been together for over three years. They had a commitment ceremony in June. They are raising Takia's biological children, a twelve-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son.
Neither Takia nor her children have health insurance. As an employee of the State of Maryland, Jo cannot enroll Takia or the children in the state health plan. Takia does not have her own health insurance, because her part-time job does not offer it. And the job does not pay Takia enough to afford private health insurance. Takia and the children had received health care through Medicaid, but Takia now has a job and is no longer eligible.
Takias son has asthma, which has forced Takia and Jo to struggle with whether they can afford medical care for their son or not. The couple also worries that if Jo were killed in an accident on her bus route, Takia and the children would not receive death benefits that are available to help the surviving families of MTA employees killed on the job.
Two years ago, Jo had an emergency gallbladder operation at a Baltimore hospital, and Takia was barred from seeing Jo or receiving any information about Jo's condition. Takia was forced to sit in the waiting room and worry about Jos well-being. Had they been married, Takia could have participated in discussions with hospital staff about Jo's care.
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