Who are you, Marianne Martinez?

Happy 291st birthday Samuel Adams!

On this date, one of the organizers of the Boston Tea Party immersed into this world and made a giant contribution to society. Along with signing the Declaration of Independence, making him a Founding Father of this country, Adams was a brewer based out of Boston. His contribution to the country inspired brewers Jim Koch, Harry Rubin and Lorenzo Lamadrid to creat what is today the largest American-owned beer company, Sam Adams. Cheers!

…and there is your Snapple fact of the day, ladies and gentlemen. Anways, welcome fellow readers to my 3rd Friday here at the Community Health Center which can only mean one thing, SPOTLIGHT DAY! Just as a reminder, the Health Insurance Marketplace opens in only 4 DAYS!! So please, if you or anyone you know is still uninsured, remind them to contact their local Community Health Center starting October 1st and discuss enrollment within an insurance plan. With this bill so close to starting I thought it would be appriopriate to highlight a CHC staff member who works directly with the team who focuses on enrolling those who are uninsured. So, without further ado I present the lovely, Ms. Marianne Martinez.

Who are you? Tell me something interesting about yourself.

My name is Marianne Martinez. I was born Hartford, CT but grew up in Manchester. I am bi-lingual as a result of my parents both growing up in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. I have a lovely 4 year old daughter named Solei (side note, one of the cooler names I’ve heard). One interesting thing about me is that I am a cancer survivor! When I was a child, I was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a type of primary bone cancer. I experienced three sets of chemotherepy and can happily say now that I am cancer-free.

What is your position here at the Community Health Center? What is something interesting about the Affordable Care Act that most people don’t know?

My position here at CHC is an Outreach/Eligibility Associate. I have been serving under that title for only 2 months now and really do love my job. Before I was fortunate enough to serve here, I worked at Hartford Hospital, specifically with their Medicaid patients. I have always been intersted in dealing with insurance types and with the ACA right around the corner I feel like it is my duty to help serve those who are currently uninsured. Somthing I think people don’t currently know about the ACA is that the national average premium for the benchmark plan will be 16% less than previously expected. YAYY!!

What are 3 high priority things still left on your bucket list?

1. Backpacking throughout Europe

2. Cliff Diving in Puerto Rico

3. Attending “Rio Carnival” in Brazil (for those who have watched Rio, this is exactly what she is talking about)

Have you ever re-gifted anything? If you have, what was it and who did it go to?

This is embarressing, but yes I have re-gifted things in the past. Specifically, when my daughter gets clothes that don’t fit, I usually re-gift those and give them to her friends. I feel like it is more efficient that way then otherwise keeping them in the basement and never using them.

What is the #1 song on your musical devise currently?

Title: Conteo Regresivo

Artist: Gilberto Santa Rosa