Woman Who Nearly Fainted On Obama May Not Enroll In Obamacare

Diabetic Pregnant Woman Not Sick Enough To Go For Obamacare

Karmel Allison from California nearly fainted yesterday during the President’s apology to the nation for the failure of his website, Healthcare.gov. Now comes new revelations that not only is she diabetic and pregnant, but she’s not sure she will actually enroll in the president’s signature health care plan.

The White House described her thusly,

Karmel Allison was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was nine years old. She has stayed on the same insurance ever since, despite constantly rising costs, for fear she would not be able to find a plan that would cover her due to her pre-existing condition. Allison recently began researching her options on CoveredCA and has publically [sic] described her experience as finally feeling equal to others, including her young and healthy husband, when it comes to access to coverage.

Her form of diabetes is Type 1, and was diagnosed before she enrolled in her current plan. Because of her condition, she feared going to a new plan because she might lose coverage.

“I had never actively looked for other coverage, because what I had was working, and the message I was getting from all the other insurance companies was, ‘Why would we cover a Type 1 diabetic? There’s no obligation for us to do that. And we’re not going to do that for anything remotely close to affordable,’” Allison said.

She gained attention for a blog post that she wrote which stated,

It’s an amazing feeling. After almost two decades of feeling tied to a single option– an option I like and am extremely grateful for, but still a single option — I felt liberated. Even now, I get chills just thinking about that feeling of, “Hey, you’re just one of us now.” It’s incredible. It’s profoundly American, to feel like I have choices and the freedom to move.

She’s now reportedly reviewing her options and was looking at CoveredCA.com, the exchange set up for California.

“When I went on the website, I wasn’t even necessarily looking to purchase coverage (emphasis added), which is why it was kind of a shocking experience that I was touched by it,” she said. “My husband and I are reviewing our options, now that we have other options. I’m just very grateful to the President for all the work he’s done to get this law enacted, and I’m very grateful to the ADA for all they did to allow me to be here, and for all they do on a regular basis.”

Her interview with Piers Morgan is below