I am lucky enough to have good health insurance and the ability to pay for it. Last year it went up 12%. All around me I see people who don't have insurance and settle for working in low paying jobs so that they can qualify for health insurance for their children. My brother lost his job last year and had to make the choice of heat for his trailer or his cardiac medicines. People should not have to make these kind of decisions in America.

I'm 60 years old, have a Master's Degree, and no health insurance. Although I've been in excellent health most of my life, four years ago I had to have emergency--unavoidable--back surgery. My yoga students raised some money to help with my hospital bills, but it took three years and a lot of paper work to get fee reductions and payment plans in place and to finally pay off the last bill. I wait everyday to read in the newspaper that Congress has FINALLY passed legislation that will a) cover me in the event of another emergency, and b)... (more)

As a recent college graduate, the burden of student loans is already so high. Thank God I have been blessed with good health, but if that were to change I could suddenly be saddled with medical debt in addition to my formidable student debt! Please reform the system to stop bankrupting young people before they have even taken their first steps in the world.

We are a family of four and we have health care through my husband's job. But we just got another notice today that our benefits are being reduced yet again--even though the premiums have increased. We spend thousands of dollars a year in uncovered expenses, which doesn't even include the huge premiums we're paying. My daughter's recent foot injury has cost us over $350 so far, and we haven't gotten all the bills or even seen the surgeon yet.

Because of the skyrocketing cost of healthcare, my father has been forced to get a secondary job at minimum wage retail store in addition to operating a private Chiropractic practice. He has to maintain this job in order to ensure that we can get healthcare, because obtaining it privately has become prohibitively expensive, rising to near $1000 levels for our family of six.

We have excellent coverage thru my employer but I certainly get nervous about that since my employer is doing a lot of layoffs. I worry particularly about our daughter who will drop off my coverage in the fall. She has a medical condition that requires very expensive medications. The plan available thru her grad school will not cover most of them. The ability of insurance companies to not accept people due to existing medical needs is wrong.

I'm married to a family practice doctor and I watch him day in and day out spend hours of his time on paperwork that has nothing to do with why he became a doctor. He has so much to offer as a caring provider but the current system burns that out of him daily. I can't stand to see that squandered. Why do we call it health care when it's illness care? Nobody reimburses doctors for any time spend on promotion of health. We know how to cure illness in this system, at great cost, and with enormous economic disparity.

At the age of 82 I find I need more health care all the time. Costa are rising and our income goes down.

I am very, very concerned about some of the Senate Finance Committee's policy options for financing health care reform. The availability and advantages of FSA'a and HSA's is extremely important in making health care more affordable for our employees. Restricting HSA contributions would put high deductible health plans out of reach for most employees, forcing them back into plans with higher premiums. Contrary to the Committee report, individuals cannot contribute an unlimited amount to an FSA and the "use or lose" principle... (more)

My family knows many others who go without health insurance, because they can't afford it. We, also,fear losing our current health insurance.

Like many Americans, I was recently layed off. I find that the costs of keeping my medicine for my asthma are rediculously high considering how little it should cost to mass produce specifically asthma inhailers. Recently they have changed the propellent inside the inhailers and somehow this caused them (even with good insurance provided by Cornell University at the time) to be very expensive. This is obviously not right and should be corrected, I find that the cost of care is not in the best interests of Americans, but rather corporations... (more)

I think of how many people like myself would like to start a company, but fear the prospect of not having healthcare. What if you have kids, or a chronic condition...how many innovative opportunities for growth are we letting be overcome by fear that would not be an issue an any other 1st world nation. The reason for having healthcare for all at an afforadable or taxed basis is the same reason we wouldn't outsource the defense or our nation (whoops, I guess many would like to and have been successful at making this happen as well) because it... (more)

It's essential for me to have the flexibility to change jobs and/or start my own solar company, as I am now trying to do. Thank you for your efforts!

Many of our policies throughout history have spread inequality. This is not a rich vs. poor, white vs. black or man vs. woman issue - this is healthcare it is a pure public good. We must define this issue or our future will look much like our past and our country deserves better than that!

My sister is a single mother and nursing student who is trying to put herself through school while raising a 10 year old son. She is suffering from an almost unbelievable number of illnesses that require expensive drugs. She cannot afford her insurance or menu of prescriptions, so she moved back in with our parents and is trying to get her health under control. Her medical bills are piling up, despite the hundreds of dollars she and my parents pay each month for her meds and treatment. All of this is in addition to trying to provide for... (more)

I'm lucky: I'm married to a professor with tenure and excellent benefits. My children attend a rural public school where I constantly see families with poor health and very limited resources for dealing with any health problem that isn't obvious and easily cured.

I address my comments to every member of Congress: I strongly support President Obama's initiative to expand health care. I have voted in every general election since I was able to, twenty years ago, and I will continue to vote in every election. Having said that, every member of Congress is a disgrace to this country. Every member of Congress puts re-election and money and money and money and money and money and power before the good of the country. I cannot name one member of Congress whom I trust to do the right thing, including my... (more)

I lived in Canada for 28 years and have first-hand experience with a single payer system. In Canada no one has to pay for cancer care for a child by holding a chicken BBQ fund raiser. I was extremely satisfied with this system, and I believe we need to get private insurance companies out of our healthcare system in the U.S. and move to single payer. Our healthcare dollars should go to healthcare, not insurance salaries and dividends. Shame on the U.S. for not being ready to make that choice: healthcare for all, financed through a single... (more)

My wife left her career in Philadelphia to move to be with me. At the time, we weren't married, so she had to rely on her COBRA. As older adults with no plans for more children, the only reason we had to get formally married was for healthcare benefits. That seems a poor reason (tho we are happy together). Please keep a single-payer option on the table. Even though I have healthcare from my employer, I think that option is an essential one.

Mr. President, let me say initially I am thrilled to have you as my Commander in Chief. I am a ardent supporter of yours and agree with all you have accomplished in such a short period of time. There is much on your plate. Here's my story: I am paying out of my checkbook for all health care and prescriptions. i wrote a $22,000 check to have my thyroid removed in 2006. One night in the hospital! $8.00 charges for generic baby aspirin! That was money saved for a down payment on a home. I am going bankrupt. I had $140,000 saved in 1997, and have... (more)