When I was 25 years old, I was getting ready to begin law school.  My husband and I moved from Portland to Eugene and I quit my job in Portland, which had provided health insurance.  When I moved to Eugene and before law school started, I worked full-time for a temporary agency doing administrative work.  I was not offered or provided health care benefits and I was unable to afford it on my own due to my low wages, the cost of moving and so forth.  My husband worked in an industry that rarely provided health care coverage.  His wages were also not sufficient for us to buy private insurance, particularly as we were looking at the start of a heavy financial investment in education.  As a result, we could not afford insurance, so I was uninsured.

The first week of law school, I discovered I was pregnant despite the fact that we had been diligently using birth control -- the same birth control we had been using since we married more than a year before.  We had talked about having children and knew that we would love our child, but our big concern was medical care and how we would afford the pregnancy and birth.

I began calling insurance companies within days of learning of my pregnancy.  Every single insurance company I spoke with told me that my pregnancy was a “pre-existing condition” that they would not cover.  My husband and I became extremely concerned about covering the costs of the pregnancy and delivery while I was a full-time law student.  Despite the fact that I had a partial academic scholarship and worked part-time, there was no way we could afford the thousands of dollars we knew would be needed to have our child safely in a medical facility.  I even anticipated dropping out of school to find a full-time job with benefits, solely because any employer's insurance company would be forced to pay for my “pre-existing condition” if I had insurance through my employer.

After many phone calls, we learned that we could possibly qualify for the Oregon Health Plan due to our low family income.  The Oregon Health Plan is a public health insurer in Oregon that covers low-income residents, especially children and pregnant women.  I had never applied for government assistance before, not even unemployment benefits.  We applied and I was accepted to the Oregon Health Plan.

As a result, I had access to medical care and insurance coverage during my pregnancy and birth.  Without it, I may have had to drop out of school, despite my academic scholarship.  Or, I may have decided not to get prenatal care and could have had riskier home birth.  There are many 'what ifs' I don't like to think about.

We were very fortunate that I had a normal pregnancy and delivered a healthy baby boy in a birthing center connected to the area hospital. I was also able to stay in law school and made law review.   I worked, studied and parented.  I graduated from law school on time, took and passed the bar exam and became a lawyer in the state of Oregon.  I found a job in Portland.  I continue to practice law and enjoy it and helping my clients through some of the roughest times of their lives.

I love being a mother.  My son is in middle school now and is thriving.

All people should enjoy access to affordable health care and coverage for all health conditions and medical services.  It makes our country healthier, stronger and more financially productive.  It's an investment in the future of our country.

Editor’s Note: Beginning in 2014, as part of the Affordable Care Act, all health individual, employer and Health Benefit Exchange plans will be required to include maternity care coverage.