Keith Rudolph, Worcester

By Scott Kearnan - Keith Rudolph knows a lot about shouldering too much paperwork. The 40-year-old truck driver spends his day operating a mobile shredder that destroys thousands of pounds of paper every day. And if Rudolph could have his way, he’d unload his medical bills onto the pile, too.

Rudolph is still paying off more than $10,000 worth of medical expenses he incurred during a single week’s hospital stay eight years ago. At the time, Rudolph was uninsured and sought care for a chronic bout of numbness in his limbs that turned out to be a mild stroke.

“I didn’t have insurance, so when it [the numbness] first started to happen, I basically said, ‘Oh, I’ll be alright.’ I thought it was poor circulation,” says Rudolph. Using over the counter ointments and home remedies, Rudolph tried to treat himself until the numbness spread from his hand to his leg, then his face, and finally radiated throughout his fingers to the point where he could no longer type.

“They ran so many tests, trying to rule out different things,” he says. Those test accrued to the tune of $10,000, and Rudolph estimates that he still has about $1,000 he needs to pay off.”

After nearly 13 years of being unable to afford insurance, Rudolph recently enrolled in Commonwealth Care, which he discovered through the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization and his parish. Not only is he now able to afford his $115 monthly premium, but the coverage also provides a peace of mind that he considers priceless.

“I’m the type of man where if my family’s not resting easy, I’m not resting easy,” he says.

Rudolph’s family is his top priority. He is married with two children living at home in Worcester, including a 5-year-old autistic son. “Having a special needs child, it [health coverage] becomes even more of a top priority,” he says. It also places additional limitations on his family’s ability to afford unsubsidized care.

As the family sole breadwinner, Rudolph says he needs to stay healthy and work. “If I can’t move, we don’t eat,” he says. “If I need a day off, what do we do?”

Rudolph’s job is strenuous. He has to hoist hundreds of pounds of paperwork garbage every day. Even this broad and brawny ex-football player admits that “pushing around 250-pound barrels every day takes a toll on your shoulders.”

Plus, working in close contact with dangerous machinery, Rudolph has witnessed firsthand co-workers succumb to on-the-job hazards.

Luckily, Rudolph has steered clear of major health concerns since his stroke eight years ago. But he’s glad that he and his family can rest easier knowing that they will not be left with a pile of insurmountable bills should a health crisis strike.

“It’s definitely soothed a lot of nerves,” says Rudolph of his CommCare coverage. “It’s given my wife peace of mind, which has relaxed me.”