Iryna Zakhozha, Newton

By Scott Kearnan - Safety. It’s an important word for Iryna Zakhozha, who moved to Massachusetts four years ago as a refugee seeking safety from anti-Semitism in her native Ukraine. She was the last of her family to come to America, encouraged by a sister who urged her to join the rest of her family. Today, the 39 year-old teaches at a Jewish orthodox pre-school in Newton, and second grade classes at Temple Israel in Boston.

“I feel safe now,” says Iryna Zakhozha.

The safety Zakhozha feels now isn’t rooted solely in where she lives. It’s also tied to the fact that she has health insurance.

“My first year in Boston, I spent all my savings,” she says. Needing treatment for an oral infection, Zakhozha spent thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses for dental surgery: root canals, fillings, crowns, and more. “I was left with nothing.”

 Iryna ZakhozhaThe experience left Zakhozha with a profound understanding of the necessity of health insurance. As a refugee, Zakhozha was entitled to three years of MassHealth (though dental benefits, at the time, were not included), but once that coverage expired she went without because her employer did not offer health benefits and the cost of private care was beyond her means.

In 2007, Zakhozha connected with the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) and enrolled in Commonwealth Care. She was happy to find coverage that she could afford on her teacher’s wage, but adds that the processes she needed to follow to get coverage were confusing.

“I was really frustrated,” she says of trying to understand her options and enroll in the plan that made most sense for her. “[A GBIO outreach worker] spent more than half an hour on the phone with me, each of us in front of the computer on our side. We went through the whole insurance options … she explained to me, and then we went from there. But I was completely confused. I didn’t know what to do. It was, ‘Oh my gosh! What am I going to do? This is completely confusing and scary.’”

Despite the initial difficulties with enrollment, Zakhozha says she is grateful for the option of coverage that is more in line with what she can afford to pay. She adds that the occupational hazards of working with children emphasizes her need for coverage. “I do get a lot of colds in the winter,” she says. “If it’s a cold, that’s okay, but last year I had a sinus infection. Thank God I had insurance! They put me on antibiotics. It’s nice to have someone who can take care of you.”