I did not get to answer this email at first because of my health. I have Lupus, Fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease, a protruding nerve root in my lumbar region, and sacral-iliac joint dysfunction. I have other problems but these are my major issues. I wake up in the morning and go to bed each night with pain. I also broke my back last summer and had to have a kyphoplasty done to help deal with my compression fracture. My medical bills added up to $6000.00 along with my daughters dental expenses. I had to figure this out for my income taxes and this figure included my driving expenses. I was grateful for the increase in gas mileage allowance from July through December.

I am very worried about the increasing cost of health care. For now I am lucky as I not only receive SSDI but I also receive a payment from the school district where I used to teach. I am worried that I may be forced into retirement in April of 2011 and then I will be only left with my SSDI. I will then be forced to live on Public Assistance. I have always paid my bills on time, never not paid a credit card bill when it came due, and never missed my mortgage payment in over 30 years. I have always eaten healthy and now it is especially important due to my illnesses but am afraid that will have to change due to the high cost of food. I need to eat certain foods to get the best possible nutrition for my ailing body. If I don't, my problems will worsen and that scares me as a 53 year old! As it is, I need medications to help my system stay regular and I do not want more medications added to increase the cost of my medical care.

The cost of medications has made it difficult to take certain medications my doctor wants me to take. I have to take generics because I cannot afford $50/quarter for brand name drugs.. It would mean $200/year for one medication alone (Boniva). I also should be taking Ultram but the same situation is true with the cost of this medication. So, in the end, I am compromising my health. Is that fair to me as I fight to make the best of my situation as it is anyway? How can the insurance companies and the drug companies justify this?

I also have had my insurance company threaten to change the way they were going to charge my out-of-network physical therapist that would have left me with $500 dollars of out-of-pocket costs to my therapist. I had to go without therapy for a month after breaking my back last year due to this hassle. I was livid for this unfair treatment. This was totally against our contract! They are constantly messing up my refund on my PT claims and I do not need this stress as stress is a bad thing for Lupus patients. I have had to stop seeing my chronic illness psychologist as my insurance company does not correctly bill her as a out-of-network provider. I have to call and correct the situation. She once was in-network and they tell me it is a computer problem! My psychologist tells me it costs her more to straighten out my account then she makes seeing me so it is a financial loss for her. She feels terrible about the situation I am in, but this is a reason why providers are dropping insurance carriers. We, the patients, are the victims.

Last summer my insurance company held back almost $30,000 in claims and said I hadn't done what I was supposed to do when it was them. They sent these EOB's to my providers and it seemed like I was irresponsible. I had all these providers to call and explain the situation all the while trying to recover from my broken back.

We really need to have serious reforms. The drug companies need not to have politicians in their pockets. The insurance companies need overhauling and oversight so people like me are not put through unnecessary stress, and we pay good money for this aggravation!

Will the Senator's working on the Health Care Reform Bill, and whose incomes are boosted by stock options and other affiliations with the drug and insurance companies in this country, be able to separate their own personal interests in order to create the best possible reform bill for the American people? This scares me!

We pay premiums, co-pays, and get jerked around. We are at the mercy of the insurance and drug companies. They make the rules and we have to live by them. I bet the higher ups are all really healthy and never had a real health problem in their lives. I totally hate it when I speak to a rep and they say they understand my frustration. I tell them to not say that because they do not! I tell them that they are not disabled and dealing with this company that is constantly causing me stress. Don't say you understand unless you truly have lived in that person's shoes. They may be taken aback by me but it is the truth.

I just got the news that my Mom, who lives in Austin, Texas will never get to go home and live independently again. I live in the Albany, NY area. Mom has always come to visit me. She is almost 86. Her health suddenly went downhill. Now, I must grit my teeth and try to travel to see her. I did just get a great airfare deal on the internet so I can go see her. However, I am afraid that I won't be able to afford to travel due to my medical expenses. I do not live lavishly. I wear sweats everywhere as they are the cheapest to replace. I don't buy socks as I wear compression stockings and my DME covers that cost. Everything is sale items! I do not even buy many clothes as I have to save in case I have a car repair and to buy food.

I am a former athlete and have a fighter attitude in me but the way things are going, the opponent, the insurance companies and the drug companies, will be stronger then my will power and knowledge of how to keep working with my doctors to keep on going as they will be playing with a hand that is more and more unfair. As we say in sports, they are cheating.

Please, health reform is a must. Those of us struggling to get by need it. Those without health insurance need it. Do it this year!