I know I am not alone. We are in this together. Yet where do we turn? I am talking about part-time workers ages 55 to 64 with no medical insurance coverage.

I am a substitute school library media specialist. Since there is no health coverage for substitute teachers, I have paid nearly $300 a month to a private company for an insurance policy.

On Dec. 7, I received a letter from that company stating that my insurance and medical benefits were being canceled in three weeks. No reason was given. I was told to call the office for alternatives. When I called, the woman I spoke with told me in a cold and heartless way that there were no alternatives for part-time workers.

I was devastated and didn’t know where to turn. But I had faith that my prayers would be answered.

My husband and I began researching on the Internet, to no avail.

Next, I started making phone calls. My first call was to my congressman, Brian Higgins. His assistant was extremely resourceful, offering names and phone numbers of agencies I could try, and was interested to hear the results.

I then called Univera, Community Blue and Independent Health. For direct-pay customers, it costs about $1,200 per month to purchase basic health care coverage. One reason for such high monthly premiums is the prescription costs; they are nearly one-half the price of the premium.

Presently, the only option is to buy into a plan that covers hospitalization, doctor visits and prescriptions. There is no option for hospitalization only. Univera is currently working on a discounted package that may become available in a few months.

For five days, I was on the phone desperately seeking help. I spoke with someone at Healthy NY, a discounted health insurance program. But the total income for a two-person household is so low that we did not qualify.

One of the most helpful things I did was to reach out to friends, seeking their advice. One suggested I contact my town Chamber of Commerce. I learned that in order to be eligible for the chamber’s health insurance, a resident needs to have a business out of the home. This did not apply to me.

Finally, I spoke with another librarian who suggested I talk to her part-time co-worker, who had received student health insurance by registering for college courses at one of the SUNY colleges.

I phoned the student health insurance company at my area college. Finally, I spoke with an extremely kind and helpful person who walked me through this process. She e-mailed me the necessary paperwork and I found the coverage to be unbelievably affordable.

This insurance costs $471 for 12 months, while my previous plan cost $300 for one month. Hospitalization, prescriptions and sick visits are covered. So I am now enrolled in a college course and am a part-time student covered by student health insurance.

My story could be your story. If you are a part-time worker between the ages of 55 and 64, obtaining health care insurance is a constant challenge and extremely stressful.

Unless you work for a company that offers health insurance to its part-time workers, you are forced to look elsewhere for coverage. The plight of the part-time worker needs to be addressed by the health care bill currently under consideration in Congress.