My daughter, Pamela, age 18, recently left home. Since she is no longer resident in our household and does not go to college, she is no longer under my family plan of group coverage through the employer. Unfortunately she cannot afford the individual medical coverage currently available and was recently hospitalized overnight for what was ultimately diagnosed as a UTI. Already she now owes several thousand dollars on unpaid medical bills. It is a hard way to start out in life.

My name is Marissa Young, a 32 year old mother of two. I am independently "insured". Last year during my pregnancy, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. My first issue with insurance is that most independant insurers do not cover pregnancy or in-hospital newborn care and any riders that you may be able to purchase do not make economical sense. The fact that pregnant mothers and newborns are not provided affordable coverage astounds me. After incurring significant debt from the birth of my child, I then had to begin cancer... (more)

I am a physician and a patient. I am embarrassed by our health care system. It doesn't serve the people, doctors, hospitals or country.

thankfully, we are not one of those people who are in a bad financial boat, but we could be. I'm tired of reading stories about good people losing their homes and savings because of an illness. That shouldn't happen in the US.

I am a professor at a private university which provides me with health insurance, although I still have to pay part of my monthly premium (automatically deducted from my paycheck). Whenever I go to the doctor, the insurance covers at most 60% of my expenses due to co-pay, ineligible amounts, etc., and only after I have satisfied my annual deductible. The current system benefits no-one other than the insurance and my employer's balance sheet. Many times I ask the doctor how much discount I can get by paying cash directly out of pocket (not... (more)

I had a mortgage company till the market changed, I lost my company and my insurance. My husband had 5 by-pass heart surgery, luckily he turned 65 and had medicare that paid for it. I haven't had a full time job since, and I was 59 yrs. old, now I have to wait till I turn 65 to have medicare, because we can't afford insurance for me. I worked all my life and we went through all our savings just to make the mortgage payments and put food on the table, now we are living week to week, like many other Americans. I had a brother who died from... (more)

My story is my sister's. She allowed her healhcare insurance to lapse briefly after she moved and quit her job as a medical laboratory technician. During the lapse in coverage, she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. She now has her own business and no insurance agency will insure her for a reasonable amount. Both her ankles have become deformed, requiring that she use a cane. She pays for Inbrel, an injection that stops the progress of Rheumatoid arthritis, out of pocket. It runs her about $1000/month. She needs surgery to replace her... (more)

As a retired Federal employee, I have good health care, including Medicare. However, there are millions less fortunate and there is no excuse for this other than corporate greed. There should be no profit to anyone for treating sick people.

I was misdiagnosed in 2005 with rheumatoid arthritis. I don't have it. It turns out that all I had was Hashimoto's Disease, an easily controlled thyroid disease. It's inexpensive to treat and it's under control. However, because I once had that diagnosis, I am uninsurable by any new provider. I have insurance now, but if that company ever stops providing insurance, I will not be able to get insurance from another company. I need for national health care to stop insurance companies from "cherry picking," attempting to only... (more)

my husband is dying of alzheimer disease. he can no longer be with me after 55 years but is in a home for dementia and alzheimer. hospice is providing some meds and nursing. we both worked all our lives, had 4 children, were charitable and loving to all. did the 3 years he spent in front of a radar screen defending the east coast at the end of the korean war help tangle the proteins in his brain? va won't help with aid and assistance because i still have a small home business. i do it for my sanity. the costs are out of this world. it is... (more)

I am disabled and have health care through my husbands job. Our health care is three time as much plus the co-pay. I have problems getting my medication and I owe payments from last year to my doctor and hospital, plus our household bills are behind or late every month. and I suffer when I can't get my medication. my medication is almost $200 with medical and 80% out of pocket and about $900 for medical for me and my husband. My husband will not go to the doctor for a check-up and he has not been for years. My husband has high blood pressure... (more)

With families loosing many jobs, the need for proper healthcare is vital in these turbulent times. I support President Obama because he sees that need.

In spite of the fact that I work full-time (plus) in a professional position (CPA), the cost of health care is becoming unaffordable. I now pay approx $1500 a month to insure my family. That in spite of the fact that my coinsurance and deductibles continue to rise. My husband and I often forgo preventative care because we simply can not afford it, and our first priority is providing our children with the care they need. We are still squeaking by, but I don't know how a less fortunate family does it. One large unexpected bill could ruin... (more)

My spouse and I both work for local government, two different cities within the same county within the great state of Florida of which could be determined by the zip code and FQDN of the email address listed. The cost of health insurance to our employers and ourselves as employees has increased exponentially during the past 5 years within the realm of high double digit percentage increases of the cost to our employers and ourselves as employees. In turn, these increases have forced our employers to renegotiate the contracts to reduce the... (more)

Our company pays for our insurance, but it's so high now they had to go to a company that now sucks for coverage.And it's like you have to check with your doctor first to make sure your visit will be coverd.

My "story" is not so much about me, as it is about the ethical need for Congress to provide a health insurance program for all citizens that is equal to what we taxpayers now provide for those "employees". There is no excuse for a large percentage of our population to not have insurance availability and coverage equal to what is provide by taxpayers for our representatives and senators.

My spouse and son have been turned down for pre-existing illnesses that aren't even that serious. We need a single payer universal plan period...Time to stand up for the people instead of the lobbies.

My name is Jasminia, I am the youngest of 3 kids brought to this earth from a beautiful mother named Maria. My mom in my eyes has climbed mountains, crossed oceans, and took care of wounded soldiers she calls her kids to sacrifice, and take care of us. My mother has several medical problems including spinal bifida, fibermaligia, irritable bowl syndrome, and diabetes. Sometimes its hard for my mother to simply get out of bed. With all her health conditions she still fights to make it threw a day. Unfortunately my mother does not have health... (more)

Due to the economic downturn, I have a son and a brother without healthcare. My brother suffers from hyperthyroidism and hypertension. If anything happens to him I could not afford to get medical help for him because my own health insurance and pharmacy copays are so high.

I have worked in the health care most of my life and still do. We need a system that covers all people, to often I witness people being denied the healthcare they need, because of financial or personal issues. To often, there are not enough providers under the insurance we do have = wouldn't be much fairer, if each doctor had to help everyone, not just pick and choose who they will accept? I hate to admit this, but I witness so much fraud today! no one is checking on billing. Medicare will say, we are not paying, we are questioning your... (more)