Please do not underestimate the magnitude of unhappiness that the American Citizens have with our congress!!!! It has been intuitively obvious that we do not have a government "by the people and for the people" as the Constitution states but we have a government ruled "by the few and for the few". Please do not talk about how corruption in 3rd world nations, we need to go no further than the US Congress is to find one of most corrupt institutions in this world. You wrote the rules allowing congressmen to accept political... (more)

BY HAVING HEALTH CARE BE A CAPITALIST BUSINESS, IT HAS COME TO DOLLARS AND CENTS VS ACTUAL CARE FOR PEOPLE. MY DAUGHTER HAS ALLERGIES TO QUITE A FEW THINGS. SHE HAS A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION FOR A CERTAIN MEDICINE, BUT THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS DENIED HER THAT MEDICINE BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER TYPES OF ALLERGY MEDICINE THAT ARE OVER THE COUNTER. WHEN DID THE INSURANCE COMPANIES BECOME THE DOCTORS? HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT WILL WORK BEST FOR MY CHILD? THEY DON'T KNOW HER AND THEY SURE DON'T CARE ABOUT HER! IT IS A SIMPLE STORY AND SURELY IT WAS... (more)

Health insurance premiums can be unaffordable for most Americans if, for some reason, one must purchase insurance individually. After retiring, we continued to be able to purchase our health insurance through my husband's former employer. At the beginning of the calendar year, the employer switched insurance carriers and the new one did not cover retirees. We were left to purchase insurance ourselves. Because both of us have pre-existing conditions, any new insurance carrier could either deny coverage or rate us in such a way that the... (more)

My mother is getting very old and gets sick frequently but she does not have any health insurance because she cannot afford it. So if she gets really sick, we will have to pay for it and that will hurt my family. We have one income and two girls in private school. We don't have any money to spare. We would have to pull them out of school or help my mother. Terrible choice.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my personal story. As a fifty year old woman without a salaried position in the work place, there are only two choices that are available for me. I can be insured through my husband's workplace, in a group, for $641/month or take private insurance. Currently I have elected a private insurance $339/month with a $2500 deductible. This policy is major medical only. Recently I have been diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel and was advised to go for a nerve conduction test... (more)

I passed at out in class and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. While in the ER I asked to be released against his medical judgment because: 1. My insurance only pays for a small amount of the expense cost of the ambulance ride. 2. Because, after worrying about paying for what my insurance doesn't cover I had to make a choice of having enough money to survive or get medical care.

I am Dean of Students at a charter school. My wife is a realestate broker. With home sales down, so is our income. We have been a one income family, for the most part, for going on a year. I make , by North Carolina education standard, pretty good money. Our mortgage is reasonable and our lifestyle, modest, but making the bills is always very close. We can do it, but we can't get ahead. It would be a whole lot easier if we weren't paying 461 dollars a month for my wifes health insurance. Now don't get me wrong Mr. President, we consider... (more)

I own and manage a 16 employee company and provide health insurance for my employees. The annual renewal costs escalate out of proportion to inflation and all other costs. My only recourse to control these costs is to reduce coverage and increase deductibles. This, in a time when my employee's spouses are losing their jobs and their abiltity to pay their deductibles and increasing co-pays is impaired. Meanwhile, drug companies pay millions to advertise 'lifestyle drugs' on prime time TV. Affordable and universal health insurance is the... (more)

Forget about getting approval from congress for the much needed healthcare reform in America. Just do it! Don't ask for permission and don't impose it on anyone. Run it like the post office and public education, where everyone hates it, but 90% still use it. As for the other 10%, they can continue paying double for their own private coverage. Think about it. Isn't this what's happening now with education and the postal system? One more thought. We already have socialized medicine in the military and va hospitals today. Also, socialized... (more)

Being a healthcare professional for more than 30 years, I personally have seen how the rising costs of healthcare and the dictatorial attitudes of the insurance companies have devastated the lives of many hard working americans. Even costing some patients their lives. It is hard to believe that this is allowed to happen in the greatest country in the world. I pray for and support our President in much needed healthcare reform, so that we all may be given the care that we all deserve. As a concerned healthcare provider I would love to do... (more)

I have personally struggled to continue my health coverage which is exorbinantly high. This year I will qualify for Medicare as long as it lasts. However, my daughter and granddaughter are unable to afford coverage. My granddaughter who is 8 years old was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this past year. My daughter has not been able to pay for her medical care which has put a tremendous financial burden on me.I simply cannot afford to continue paying for her care and she is lacking the help she needs, which is heartbreaking. Additionally, my... (more)

I wish to retire, however I can't afford to based on health care costs.

Hospital Emergency rooms are over crowded because they WILL accept and care for people without insurance. Urgent Care facilities will NOT. This is not only expensive care but often leaves seriously sick people waiting because someone has a sore throat at 3 AM in an emergency room.

by=pass heart x 3 postreat surgery x 2 confined to health care facility HOMER RUFFIN - PATIENT 415b CARRINGTON 600 FULLWOOD DRIV4 - MATTHEWS, NC 28036 704-841-4773

My mom lost her job at 64 and will not qualify for Medicare for another year or more, so she has the financial burden of paying for her own SKY HIGH insurance premiums (which have gone up exponentially as she's aged). We pay too much for health care! Doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical corporations need to be stopped from bankrupting our country. HELP!

My dear friend is only able to afford minimal health care and has to pay out of pocket. She can't afford the exhorbitant medical costs so she is allowing her health to "stay on hold" until she gets Medicare.

I know a number of single parents that remain uninsured because of the cost of health care is too high at their jobs and the choice is made between feeding and clothing the kids or having a primary care physician. I myself have remained married for 5 years after seperating because of health benefits.

I manage associates that have so many economic problems on their plates, the last thing they should worry about is where/when/how to manage their family healthcare. Michael Moore's movie SICKO said it best that if we are a country that cares about our citizens, we need to step up and take responsibility for it. It should not be considered a burden, but rather caring for our neighbors.

Our daughter had sufficient insurance through her employer, but at age 40 she suffered cardiac arrest and lost oxygen to her brain.She was in the hospital for 8 weeks, so her insurance carrier canceled her insurance at 6 months. She never fully recovered and had to go on Medicaid for the duration of her illness, for approximately 11 years until her death. What on earth would she do if she couldn't get Medicaid and Medicare? It is so important to so many that they are allowed to have ample insurance coverage of some sort-insurance companies... (more)

Dear Sir, I am an American citizen residing in Spain for the last 12 years, so perhaps I can offer a perspective on health care in the U.S. versus Europe. Although Spain is a poorer country than the US (salaries here are typically half there US equivalent), the country has an efficient public health service which is rated better than that of the United States. Though Spain has some private hospitals, they are generally considered to be more confortable, but not to have a better level of care, than the public hospitials. When someone has a... (more)