Dear "Free" Clinics,
Unable to pay expensive insurance premiums, we've visited several of your East Los Angeles locations in search of low-cost sexual and reproductive health services. Shockingly, we've been deemed overqualified for free services based on income (and we use this term loosely, considering the fact that it refers to our meager unemployment checks).
Is there such a thing as overqualified when it comes to basic healthcare access? Caring for our bodies is a human rights issue, not a question of insurance or money. Because we're betweeen jobs -- and because we have neither the employer insurance to cover our needs nor the extra cash to pay for them out of pocket -- we're in a difficult position that should be met with acceptance rather than exclusion. We aren't a statistic or a number. We are you, minus quality healthcare options.
We cannot accept being told that we make too much money when we have barely enough to cover our living costs. If we collected any less, we'd be unable to pay our rent. At least then we'd be able to get into your clinic -- but it shouldn't be a trade off. In today's society, where socioeconomic lines are more blurred than ever, Los Angeles needs more clinics that operate on a sliding income scale.
We know you're underfunded and underpaid, and we know that you're trying to do good work in this world. But we also know that we deserve healthcare, no exceptions.
Sincerely,
The Women of LA
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