I have two separate stories. I am employed full-time at a white-collar job, in a private company with around 150 employees. We have great health insurance coverage, and even though our company pays much of the premiums, the employee portion of the premiums went up by 25% in one year (even though there were hardly any new employees, and the average age is about 30)! Our HR department had fully researched our options and this was by far the best deal we could find. I was astonished to realize that health insurance can go up by so much each... (more)

With my hight mortgage I have to stop paying for some of my meds. My SSDI has been held up for almost 10 months now. I can't afford the gas and electric sometimes. Telephone and cable have to be delayed sometimes. Calls all hours of the day and evening keep me annoyed because of bill collectors. Mortgage co. won't help. My hospital has helped with some free meds. (Johns Hopkins Hospital). Please help.

I am a professional pianist and vocalist who was recently assaulted mugged in Baltimore. In the process the assailant broke my finger and four ribs. Music performance being my sole source of income, I depended on my health care, which I pay for out of my own pocket to get me through this and enable me to make my living and pay my bills, and so far it has but it is not cheap.

i am presently dealing with lack of support my teeth that need to be removed and suffering headaches and need affordable dentist to give me plate to work and talk and eat.i have suffered with low blood and soft teeth as a child,but look forward to a reform.thank Mr President for your commitment and care to all people,and not forgetting African Americans.GOD BLESS YOU EACH DAY ,I KEEP YOU IN MY DAILY PRAYER.

the So Call Health has put me in due and the insurance don't Help!

It is nuts not to fix this problem -- fiscal, humanitarian and civic nuts -- the sooner the cheaper, kinder and more civil.

My parents are both deaf senior citizens my mom is 80 and my dad is 78. They obviously need regular health care and supervision to ensure the longevity of their lives. I personally depend on their ability to stay part of this world. The health care issue has been a huge challenge. They currently have to pay an out of pocket expense of over $400 a month to purchase medi-gap insurance to ensure if there is a major issue they won't be strapped with huge medical costs. The other major issue is the prescription drugs donut hole. Ultimately we... (more)

I am a recent college graduate and theatre professional. The very choice of my profession not only means minimal pay (which I'm fine with!) but also no real option for health care. I struggle to pay bills let alone afford health care. I can honestly say I do not know what I am going to do. Please make health care affordable for the nation's incoming young professionals!!! Thank you and much love!

When I was a teenager, I was diagnosed with a pituitary adenoma, a benign tumor that had grown on the pituitary gland in my brain. The tumor causes the pituitary to excrete too much of certain hormones into my body. Untreated, the condition could cause sight problems, severe headaches, and infertility. I have been living with this condition for almost ten years now. It is treatable, not curable, with pills, regular blood work to check my hormone levels, and yearly MRIs to keep an eye on the size and position of the tumor. As a teen and... (more)

My brother is a college grad and recently he earned an MFA from the prestigious Chicago Art Institute. Because he's been a part-time student for 3 years, he has had no health insurance. When he was hit by a car, his first reaction was to hope that he wouldn't have to go to the hospital, because he had no insurance. He will not be pursuing a job in the arts, he said, because he needs benefits, namely insurance, and working in his area of passion doesn't provide for health insurance. What a waste to our country to have talented, passionate... (more)

I have been uninsured since loosing my last restaurant job when the company I worked for lost the contract to operate the restaurant. My new employer does not offer health cover and I could not afford the $749.00 monthly for COBRA. I am 49.

Mr. President, Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts. I don't have a unique story because the three major issues; high cost, insufficient choice, and lack of quality in our healthcare system have become the NORM! This story is not much different from so many others. My brother was denied coverage for treatment of testicular cancer because it is considered a pre-existing condition. The big business of health insurance is equating to Social Darwinism in systematic form.

I am a 40 year old single woman who has had two open heart surgeries. I work for a City agency and I have Health Care Coverage. However, the coverage still leaves me with a $300 to $400 subsidy I must find to cover prescriptions. I have had to make a conscious choice to take a position with a lower salary than my expertise can bring so that I can have Health Care that covers my needs. This coverage however is still inadequate because I have a monthly prescription bill that is equal to the car payment of a luxury vehicle. No I don't... (more)

My mother was almost killed by public health care. That's right, she was almost killed. She was uninsured, and going to the clinics that will treat you based on a sliding-scale income. She has never earned much money, so she gets cheap medical help. She got what she paid for. The problem with the health care system, and this is overall, not just the clinics, is the willingness of doctors to prescribe a drug to fix the problem. Should I say "overwillingness" in most cases. She was on a short term depression medication for over 5... (more)

I am incensed at the needless procedures I have undergone to prove my 83-year-old hip is not functioning as it used to, and that I will ultimately need surgery. A simple manipulation of the leg by the nerve specialist I was referred to confirmed the hip was my source of pain. Previous specialists had done the same manipulation and did CT scan and painful nerve test unnecessarily, resulting in approximately $3,000 expense to the taxpayers.

I am a young, working professional, and generally healthy. I work for state government, but in order to save costs, i'm a contractual employee and have zero benefits. The only health insurance I can afford is a high deductible indemnity health plan, for which I basically am only entitled to a physical and gyn appt once a year. any other costs are completely out of my pocket. My premiums have increased by 33% in the past few months, and i just found out that i need substantial physical therapy to correct a spinal issue. but the care is... (more)

A urologist friend explained that when performing surgery, he has to schedule patients to come back a second time to complete even a minor procedure because of insurance codes...essentially, although he could (and should) perform everything that needs to be done in one surgery, he would not get paid for it. He must bring the patient back in for surgery again, for what could have easily been taken care of during the initial surgery. That, he says, is not quality health care, and can be detrimental to elderly patients in particular, but that's... (more)

I took care of my terminally ill husband for 6 years. I lost 2 jobs. My own health broke down and I had to stop work completely in the last year of my husband's life. He passed in 2006, but I spent 2 years in financial disaster which included the loss of my home. I was forced into a homeless situation for a brief time and found that I only qualified for some healthcare because I was homeless. I have 2 degrees and found it so difficult to be in this position due to overwhelming tragedy. I am underemployed and have found housing, but may lose... (more)

My 36 year old son has had Diabetes since he was 4 years old. I cannot thank you enough, Mr. President for lessening the restrictions on stem cell research. For so many years I have expected that things would make his life easier and I feel like we lost 8 years of which maybe he could have had a cell transplant except for greed and hatefulness. If a family has gone through life without a life threatening disease they could never understand what it is like to get a call from the school that they can't wake-up your child. The drop in... (more)

Grown ups don,t have money to get medication that they need due to greedy company s that make the stuff and medicare don,t cover Dental or Glasses that is on major problem I have No money to get them, I only get 678.00 a month how I get along takes Restrant