This week was the first time I utilized my insurance, provided to me at no charge by the state of Oregon.

For over a week now, I have had various symptoms of an illness: coughing, fever, congestion, body aches and more. Since I was scheduled to visit my grandmother soon, a women who is perpetually in less than ideal health, I decided to visit a doctor to see what exactly I had, and more importantly, if I was contagious, possibly posing a threat to the health of my grandmother.

Lo and behold, I was diagnosed with a sinus infection. The doctor said the worst of it seemed to have passed; she advised me to take what to me seems like a very excessive amount of ibuprofen, and to come back if things didn’t improve in a few days. At the end of the visit, I also received a flu shot, the very first flu shot I have ever gotten. Thankfully, my illness was not serious, and since my doctor’s appointment, I do feel that my health is improving.

This was the first time I have been to the doctor’s in quite a while, minus Planned Parenthood and updating immunizations. Up until just a few months ago, I wasn’t even insured at all. Once I cut ties with my parents at the end of the summer, I assumed I was no longer on their health insurance. Even if I miraculously was, there was no way I was going to use it. Even before that, though, my coverage in the state of Oregon was very ambiguous. Sometimes my insurance said I was covered out of state, and at other times I was told I was not. Plus, to make matters worse, the school required all students to have health insurance. Therefore, I was always nervous to use the school’s on campus health resources for fear I would be found out for possibly having health insurance that didn’t cover me in the state of Oregon.

Even before my time in college, health care was almost always out of reach. Growing up, unless I appeared to have strep throat (an illness I got way too frequently as a child), a doctor’s appointment was almost always out of the question. Sure, as a child I received all of my immunizations and went to my checkups, but as I grew older, the visits to doctors became fewer and fewer. Yearly checkups were a foreign concept. Even dentist visits were rare, with anything more than a basic cleaning and filling a couple cavities being out of the question. To this day I am still trying to find a way to afford having my wisdom teeth removed.

Family finances contributed in part to my family’s hesitation to seek medical services for anything less than dire emergencies. (And even then, you really had to be in dire distress to be taken to a hospital by car, certainly not by ambulance.) Most of the money for medical care went to my mother, with a small amount going toward my sister and myself, and almost none at all for my father. But it wasn’t just money that kept my family away. Growing up, there was a culture of distrust of modern medicine and a deep desire to never be seen as weak. To be clear, my parents were not fundamentalist Christians relying solely on the grace of God, nor were they anti-vacciners. However, there was always the belief that unless it was a life or death situation, any medical problem could be taken care of with rest, over the counter medication and perhaps a few home remedies. Furthermore, my family had a habit of making sure they were never seen as weak or incompetent, and I suspect that relying on outside medical care would have seemed to do just that.

In light of growing up immersed in these attitudes, it was difficult for me to schedule a doctor’s appointment. When I called to schedule the appointment and even during the actual doctor’s visit, I repeatedly asked if they were sure there was no cost to me. Over and over they assured me that the services I was receiving were completely covered by my insurance from the Oregon Health Plan, and at the end of the appointment I walked out without any charge to myself.

Some may say that my trip to the doctor’s office was a waste of time and money, an unnecessary burden on the taxpayers of Oregon. That I am just another lazy millennial taking advantage of the system, taking handouts instead of working to provide myself with health insurance. I am working; I am currently finishing an internship, but also looking for a full time job. I am spicing up my LinkedIn profile, tidying up my resume, pulling out my interview clothes and checking job postings every day.

I didn’t grow up in a home that valued medical care, and now that I have access to at least basic health care, I realize how much I was missing. I don’t plan on going to the doctor for every little bump and bruise, but it is comforting to know that when something feels wrong with my body, I am able to be checked out, possibly preventing long-term damage and long-term costs. Not having to just suffer through an illness, being able to actually value my health, relieves so much worry and stress. I know there is a dollar amount attached to my subsidized health insurance, but the comfort of knowing I can seek medical attention feels priceless.

I am in a tough financial situation now, but so many other people are living under worse circumstances. Thankfully I have no children to support; I can’t even imagine trying to pay for health insurance for myself and kids. Subsidized health insurance, Obamacare if you will, isn’t helping me be lazy or dependent on the government; instead, it is providing me with the opportunity to maintain my health, something every person wants to be able to do. As we approach the inauguration of our new President, I suspect that there will be more talk about dismantling Obamacare and cutting government subsidized benefits. Don’t forget who our new President will be trying to take health insurance away from- your classmate in college, your friend that just graduated, your relative who got laid off from work and needs some extra assistance, your grandparents who are living on a fixed income. As someone who has lived most of her life without access to health care, I can attest to just how terrible it is to know you cannot go to the doctor until the last minute. Don’t condone putting your friends, your family, your neighbors, or your community members in that situation- support government subsidized health insurance.