I would like to see quality healthcare for all Americans, but I would like to see better healthcare for mental illness, especially. There needs to be more after-care and follow-up care, for people who need help getting back into society after hospitalization. A mental illness is just as traumatic as major surgery, and needs ongoing care.

When I was a little boy, about fifty five years ago, my family lived in an obscure third world village. The little town had only one doctor, a man who once saved my life when I was dying of fever. One day I was playing superman on a staircase and I thought I could fly. I tried to fly into the air and I only fell into the ground. My left arm was horribly broken and I almost died in coma. My friend and savior, the doctor, was in another state at the time. Only a high speed police escort and a determined third world doctor saved my life.

I am 24, and have recently been pre-diagnosed as possibly having epilepsy. In two weeks, I have added up over $2,000 in bills I will soon have to repay for tests such as EEGs, MRIs and simple blood work. And I actually have insurance. This must be truly nightmarish for anyone who gets sick with no coverage at all.

My wife is a cancer survivor and we have no insurance. If we could get insurance now, it would be prohibitively expensive and we just cannot afford it. Our back-up plan, in case of major health problems, is to fly to Europe where we know we will be treated fairly. I would much rather have a single payer system here. I prefer the government to any insurance company. When the conservatives are inflaming the argument with cries of "socialized" medicine I know they are really talking about "civilized" medicine. That's what... (more)

I am in favor of nationalized healthcare for a number of reasons. One of them has to do with equal treatment for everyone. I think the president is heading in that direction and I'm 100% in favor of it. I myself am disabled with RA and a stroke. I am fortunate to qualify for assistance from the VA because of my military service. But, I know there are many others that do not have that benefit. For those that do not qualify for VA benefits, I think 2 years of government or community service might be a way of bringing the responsibility... (more)

Health insurance is too expensive, with too few options, too many exceptions, and too much hassle.

I was able to work for 27 years straight to support my family of 4 kids. I got hurt at work and could no longer work. A few months after getting injuried, I found out I have breast cancer and I'm currently on chemotherapy. I have hopes of being able to return to work someday, but at the moment, it is difficult, to say the least. I can not afford medical insurance for myself or my children. I am now living below the poverty level with zero income and living with loved ones who help to take care of me until I can get back to work. I can not... (more)

My brother and I were both born with serious, incurable kidney defects. With no family history of medical problems on either side, this could not have been predicted by our parents, nor is there any sort of genetic test available today. It's one of those things that comes out of nowhere. Fortunately we did not require much treatment until our 20s, where continued deterioration required a transplant for each of us. Thanks to my transplant -- an astounding gift from my father -- I live a happy, successful life. Because to me, this is about... (more)

My sister passed away from severe diabetes. She struggled to pay for her medication. Now my other sister is struggling to pay for her medication and doctor visits. I try to help where I can, but when her costs are in the tens of thousands, even our combined family assistance isn't enough

My daughter works in a large Hospital in Dallas Texas and can't afford the empoyee's family insurance plan it cost too much, she has a one year old baby, and a daughter seven they are without anykind of health insurance. God help them if they get sick.

I have two stories. 1) My Aunt worked for Solomon brothers for 30 years. She was the secretary to Mr. Solomon, in fact. Not the most glamorous job in the world but not too bad for a single mother, whose husband had left her with no child support what-so-ever. She worked hard, was able to buy a small apartment in New York City, back in the 60's. Wasn't able to save all that much, because she didn't make all that much, but she had enough to get by on. About two years ago, my aunt retired on disability because of debilitating... (more)

I was laid off in December, and I can't afford COBRA (even after the stimulus package that reduced its cost). I have severe clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and ADHD, so going without my prescriptions and doctor's appointments is simply impossible. As it is, I've already had to change my ADHD medication to a cheaper, less effective alternative, and I've even been reducing my dosage to try to stretch it as far as I can. For anyone who doesn't know -- personally -- what these disorders are like, try to imagine the absolute... (more)

I'm in graduate school and a single mother. I am a fulltime student and unable to work full-time right now, therefore I don't have health insurance. There is a medical procedure that I need to have done and am unable to because of finanical reasons. I also have not visited the dentist in 5 years because I can't afford it. I will graduate and be able to get a well paying job,with health insurance, but in the meantime I have to put my health on the backburner. This is ridiculous and uncalled for in the richest and most powerful nation in the... (more)

I am a 21 yr old female, about to graduate from college with a degree in the theatre arts, a career in which only seasoned actors who join the Actors Equity will receive healthcare benefits, and I am also engaged to be married the summer after and plan to start my own family soon. How will it be possible to keep myself and a child healthy and happy in our country without FREE country wide healthcare?

You know what I am? I'm the dream worker for American businesses. I'm educated; I'm a pro in my field; I'm flexible, and I'm more than willing to take contact assignments. In fact, I prefer them. The relevant experience I get is much richer than that which I got as a long-term employee, even for 'good' companies. You know what my concern (and sometimes hold up) is? Healthcare. I'm less mobile and less flexible than I want to be (and way more stressed out), because my healthcare is not truly portable. Think about it - if we had a strong... (more)

I have a daughter that almost died because she didn't have health insurance. All Americans should be covered and no one turned away because of lack of coverage.

I was laid off in February from a job that did not provide health care coverage. I have long been experiencing discomfort and pain but chose to ignore it because I was barely making ends meet. When the pain became too much to bear, I called on the City of Denton Health Department for help and was qualified for indigent services. Lab results revealed a scary defiency of hemoglobin in my blood. The doctor referred me to a local hospital for a blood transfusion. Eventhough I refused the transfusion, other test were done. I was also... (more)

I have been one of the "luck ones" who has had health insurance, but it has not been easy. Throughout my life, I have seen coverage diminish, my co-payments and deductables substantially increase while having to argue with insurers whose main job seems to have morphed into finding reasons NOT to cover medical needs as opposed to helping me stay as healthy as possible. That is flat wrong for me and it is flat wrong for America, period. How we care for those less fortunate should be a primary concern to those who self identify as... (more)

My step-mother has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. She has always had strange periods of illness all of her life, and has been back and forth to different doctors. Her Lyme disease had been misdiagnosed for 15 years as other illness. Doctors were just treating the symptoms of Lyme that happened to be present. Now that she is correctly diagnosed, the Lyme has gotten worse. Her health care costs are very high. She had to quit her job as a receptionist due to the effects of Lyme: chronic fatigue, motor skill loss, memory impairment. She is... (more)

I was lucky to have good coverage when I was diagnosed with breast cancer 16 years ago. However, I was saddened by the stories of women in my breast cancer support group who did not have good coverage. Some of them (with poor coverage) also lived in towns without an oncologist, so they had the added cost of driving 60 miles to get care. Then there were the women who had good coverage through their jobs, but could not take off enough time for treatment, so struggled through chemotherapy while working full time. If they quit their job, they... (more)