Evelyn Williams didn’t think she would lose the comforts of affordable health care when she lost her job at Veridian Health in April.

During the year she worked at Veridian, the Evanston resident set aside $91 every two weeks for employee health benefits. Thinking this would cover medical costs until she found another job, Williams was shocked to learn that her employer never distributed the money to her insurer, she said. For the first time in their lives, Williams, 38, and her daughter were without health insurance.

“I am very angry,” she said. “I can’t get any prescriptions filled, I can’t afford to see a doctor, I can’t get anything.”

Williams and her children are among millions of suburban Chicago residents without health coverage. Almost 2.5 million people living in Chicago’s suburbs were uninsured in 2004, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.

For primary treatment, uninsured residents who don’t qualify for public aid often end up at various community health clinics throughout Chicago and its suburbs. Michael Sessler, office manager of Evanston-Rogers Park Family Health Center, 1555 W. Howard St., said 70 patients show up at the center every day.

Health care providers treat patients in ten rooms at the clinic Monday through Saturday, but Sessler said the demand is overwhelming.In the last six months alone, the clinic dispensed more than 1,000 bottles of prescription medicine.

“These patients have no means to get insurance,” Sessler said.

Patients pay at least $15 for treatment, but those who can’t pay are not turned away, Sessler said.

“Some people have just lost their jobs, and what they need now more than anything is a kind medical provider,” he said.

A specialist at the clinic helps patients find affordable health insurance with agencies like KidCare, a state-sponsored program available to pregnant women and U.S. citizens or legal immigrants under age 18. Eligible applicants receive services such as prenatal care, doctor visits, laboratory tests and medication at a low cost depending on family size and income.

In some cases, patients meet the requirements for indigent drug programs. Pharmaceutical manufacturers supply free or reduced-cost drugs to patients who qualify. These and state programs often require either proof of U.S. citizenship, income or both, but those who need care often aren’t U.S. citizens.

Monica Dillon, a nurse at Howard Area Community Center in Chicago, sees a strong influx of West Africans and Central Americans who don’t have health insurance. Even when the patients qualify for programs, explaining the application process is difficult because these immigrants often don’t speak fluent English.

“It is just as difficult for people coming from countries where there is socialized health care,” Dillon said. “They come to this country, and they can’t even get an aspirin without money. It is hard for them to understand where to go and how to get health care without paying the big bills.”

In the absence of medical care, patients do whatever they can to stretch prescriptions, Dillon said. They cut back on daily doses or slice pills in half, she said.

Williams, a single mother, said the best thing she can do is pray. Her six-year-old daughter, Mya, is enrolled in KidCare and got all her shots before the school year began. But Williams is still waiting to hear from representatives at a health-coverage provider she applied to in June.

Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed an insurance fraud complaint against Williams’ former employer, the health-care company Veridian, in April, alleging the company billed health insurers more than $234 million for unnecessary medical testing.

Williams is anemic and she said she worries her family’s history of heart disease will catch up with her soon. She has yet to visit a clinic like the Evanston-Rogers Park Family Health Center, where she fears the level of care won’t be as high as at a hospital.

“You’re not treated with the same dignity when you don’t have the money,” Williams said.

Chicago resident Desiree Marks had many of the same concerns as Williams, saying there needs to be a “dignified way for low-income people to receive healthcare.” Marks lost her health coverage when her job at Midwest Bank Trust was phased out last year.

Since losing her job, Marks’ nights have been interrupted by the nagging migraines she used to control with prescription medicine. She tried to stretch her medication, but once it ran out, there was little to ease her pain.

“The pain would make me sick to my stomach,” Marks said.

Last week, Marks sought help at a Chicago health clinic, where she got a physical and spoke to a doctor for the first time in a long time.

“Most people are happy that there is a place they can walk in and be treated with respect,” Family Health Center manager Sessler said.

Marks said she was relieved to finally see a doctor but still worries about not having health insurance. That her mother had several strokes is a constant reminder of unforeseen circumstances looming around the corner, she said.

“It really works on the mind,” Marks said. “But I just try to stay healthy.”

Williams is still in shock after finding out she had no health benefits.

Until she finds a job, Williams said she’ll have to adjust to not having health insurance for the first time. She said the U.S. government should implement a plan for affordable health care for all Americans.

“I’ve paid my taxes, and I’ve been a good citizen,” Williams said. “I shouldn’t have to be without health care.”

Reach Vincent Bradshaw at [email protected].