I've had asthma my entire life. Since 1999, it has been well-controlled by daily use of an inhaled steroid, which has been supplemented with another daily medicine since 2005, when I started living with cats. I also have an albuterol inhaler, which is a fast-acting asthma treatment for use only when I am experiencing asthma symptoms. These last 17 years, I've needed it rarely. Even before 1999, I took medicine daily going back as far as I can remember. I probably tried every asthma treatment available in the 1980s and 90s. Back then, I used my albuterol inhaler frequently. I often used it up before I was eligible for a refill. I wheezed all winter; I ran out of breath from even mild physical activity; I woke up in the night needing to be rushed to the emergency room. None of these problems persisted after I started taking inhaled steroids and I hardly think about my asthma anymore. (Taking daily medicine is so routine for me, I don't give it a second thought; I have taken medicine literally every day for more than 35 years.)
It's easy to overlook, all these years later, how having asthma affected some of my major life events, particularly the effect it had on my professional life. It's true that having health insurance - particularly in the pre-Obamacare era - was a privilege, but not having health insurance was a privilege of its own sort; one I could never afford. I require daily medicine that would cost hundreds of dollars per month, if I had to pay out-of-pocket. If I were to forgo the medicine, I would likely need coverage for emergency room visits every few months. As long as I've been an adult, having health insurance has been very near the top of my priorities. When I left school with no degree to show for it, I headed straight for the temp agency affiliated with Harvard seeking any kind of job I could get, as long as it included health insurance. Sixteen years later, I realize this decision - spurred in the moment by a combination of practicality and fear - was the start of the career path I'm still on today. Now and then, I've wanted to take career risks, but asthma (or, more accurately, my need for asthma medication) has always given me pause. (I have had a handful of short stints without insurance in my adult life, which I've gotten through via a combination of medicine-hoarding and doctors' free samples.) Overall, I like my work and I'm not actually sure I would have done anything differently if, say, I lived in a country that provided healthcare. It would have been nice to feel I had the option.
