As she makes her way from tire to tire, one of the truck drivers stops by to check on his rig.
Steve Walsh has been with this company for two years; [Sandy] Higgs started this past summer. Neither gets health care from the job.
“I’ve been trying to find another job through a factory here that has insurance,” Higgs says. “They’re not hiring. They’re all moving out (of Flora).”
That brings up a looming crisis in Higgs’ life: Her youngest daughter has bipolar disorder and is about to lose her insurance. For years, mother and daughter have been covered by an Illinois family insurance program, but their benefits end in a few weeks. Now Higgs worries that she won’t be able to help out with the price of medication.
The subject is loaded with aching regret.
“I just wish I could have done more for my girls,” she says, tears spilling. “Just made it so that they had more and didn’t have to struggle, you know?”