Study 1 (2014)

1 Manuel is an undergrad student in Computer Science who splits the time between the US and Reynosa. He has a mother and a sister who are living in Reynosa. His dad is working in the US. He is 21 years old. He was raised in Mexico for his whole life but he has the US citizenship due to his birth in certain part of the border town. He has a student insurance plan in academic year due to his student status. He has never seen a doctor or visited a clinic. When he is sick, he just stays home and lets the disease cured itself.

2 Lydia is Manuel’s girlfriend. She is 20 years old. She is working on her Theatre/Television/Film Degree. She is a student worker. She has six siblings, none of whom has health insurance. One of her sisters has mental illness (bipolar disorder). Like Manuel, she only had student health insurance plan when she enrolled in school.

3 Jesus is a supervisor at a media lab at a large local university. He is gay. He is 34 years old. He is living with his parents, one younger sister, and one older brother, all of them have health insurances (either private or from work). Moreover, Jesus’s health insurance is premium and provided by his employer.

4 Alejandro is Jesus’s full-time assistant at work. He is 29 years old. He has a bachelor degree in Business. He also has health insurance provided by the employer. He says he only goes to the hospital when it is an emergency.

5 Alex is a part-time staff at the media lab of Jesus. He does not have insurance. He did not want to disclose his age to the researchers. He looks like he is in his late 30s. He is a master student of political science at a large local university. He is also a part-time math teacher at a local high school. He says he hopes he will not ever have to go to the doctor.

6 Daniel is a part-time staff at the media lab of Jesus. He does not have insurance. He is 26 years old. He is also a full-time student at the local university. He does not disclose what he is studying.

7 Madelia is a former judge-retiree. She is 76 years old. She is living in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the area. She has premium health insurance plans. She faces regular illness of the elderly and very often has to travel to San Antonia and Austin for check-up and treatment.

8 Romeo is Madelia’s husband. He is 85 years old. He is an Air Force veteran. He was working as a manager for a hospital in San Antonio. He has premium health insurance plans. He has been through several surgeries (e.g. heart, back, knee) in the past 10 years.

9 Bernado is 85 years old. He is a retiree. He used to have a company, which imported agricultural products from Mexico to restaurants in the US. He has health insurance.

10 Maria is Bernado’s wife. She is 83 years old. She has health insurance.

Study 2 (2017)

1 Sabastian is a single, 47 years old man who is working for a local construction company. He earns decent money as a truck driver. He has Obamacare.

2 Diego is both a fulltime graduate student and a staff at a large local university. He, his mom, and the sibling have health insurance under his dad since his employer offers health insurance. However, he will lose his coverage next year due to his age.

3 Macio is a family doctor. He is 68 years old. He used to be a faculty for a local school of medicine for a year. He got the health insurance from his employer during that time. However, after he stops working there, his health insurance will only cover him for another 6 months. He has to search for a new insurance by himself and it is very costly due to his age and patient’s history.

4 Camila is Macio’s wife. She is as well 68 years old. She is a retired nurse. She is under her husband’s health insurance. She also has history of several severe illnesses due to her age and gene.

5 Ana is 33 years old. She is a returning student. She is living with her mother. She and her mother both have Obamacare.

6 Karina is a cleaning staff at a large local university. She is 42. She is a single mom. She is a heavy smoker. She has three daughters who are 24, 21, and 18. The daughters are still living with her. None of them has health insurance.

7 Alex in study 1.

8 Madelia in study 1.

9 Romeo in study 1.

10 Bernado in study 1.

11 Maria in study 1.