I am paying $2174 monthly for health insurance for myself (age 62) and my wife (age 61). Both of us are in reasonably good health. Need I say more? James Thill

The United States health care system is broken. It is pure insanity that the United States does not offer nationalized health care for everyone. Critics say that the United States cannot afford it or it will drive down quality. I do not understand how we cannot afford healthcare but had the ability to enter into the Iraq War without too much concern for how much it would cost. Health care including dental care is a very basic need. How can the United States have citizens with private jets and $100 million+ private residences but the... (more)

My daughter is 27 and lives and works in New York City. She and a friend have recently started their own ad and marketing agency. They cannot afford to pay for health insurance !It worries me everyday that my daughter is not insured. How is this possible in the U.S.A. ? We expect better and soon.

Good Luck President Obama. My entire family stands with you - my father, my brother, all my cousins, aunts and uncles, neices and nephews on boths sides of my family. We are united and the country needs to unite behind your plan. One Country - One Plan - Obama's.

We're in the process of trying to get pregnant again. Last time we paid essentially out of pocket with little health-care coverage. I'd estimate it cost us around $8k+ to have our wonderful little boy. Going through this again we now have better coverage through my new employer but I recently found that just ONE of the drugs my wife must take prior to getting the IUI is $1200. This is just one of the four drugs she needs to take, albeit the others are much more reasonable. How does a drug cost that much money? Especially something for... (more)

I have health care insurance but can't afford to get it for my wife because the premiums are to high.

My history teacher owes over $1,000,000 in hospital bills for her baby boy who was born with many health problems. Her husband was forced to sell his business and stay home to help care for him, because if my teacher quits her job, they will no longer have health care.

I am a retired Fed govt employee and a baby boomer. Most every year that I worked my health insurance premiums increased more than my wages and since I retired in 2005, the premiums are still increasing more than the cost of living increases. Also, the medical billing and claims process is confusing and needs reform. Its atrocious the way the insurance company reps and the health care providers bounce you around on claims. Doctors don't spend enough time with patients, you're lucky if you get five minutes with some of these people. ... (more)

My husband and I pay nearly $2200.00 a month for health care. I take no drugs and rarely see a doctor. Even if costs were reduced by the $2500.00/yearly that President Obama speaks about, I don't see how it would really make a difference to people who can't afford it now. With 47 million people struggling with this issue, it seem to me you would have a lot of support for drastic changes.

I am anticipating paying for my own health care this fall. It is too expensive for me to afford. I am not sure what I will do. I cannot go without and I cannot afford it.

President Obama, We recently took our infant son to the emergency room at the guidance of our pediatrician, on a Sunday. Therefore we had to pay $~500 out of pocket. I work for a major multinational corporation. If we took our son for medical care on Monday thru Friday it would have been a $10 co pay. We have to rid ourselves of a total 'for profit' healthcare system.

A year ago I went to the doctor because of pain and swelling in my left foot; she sent me to an orthopedist. Since the orthopedist was out of my health care network, I paid $200 for the initial visit and then $310 for the boot I was told to wear for two months. At the end of the two months I removed the boot and went back to shoes on both feet. After a week, I went back to the orthopedist because of swelling and pain again. I was placed back in the boot for another three months. Again, I had to pay the $200 fee. That was September and I still... (more)

I am a small business owner. My daughter who is an engineer has had to come to work for me, she has a 10 year old son, they both need health care which, with slowing down of business has caused my clients to cut back on my work load therefore I can't afford to pay her the wages she deserve hence she is short on health care benefits. If I were nto covered under my husband's (who is now retired from the government after 31 years) health care plan there is no way I would be able to afford health care for myself. If something should happen to him,... (more)

Basically I have lived in the U.S for 9 years on and off, I can honestly say that in London I was free to get my teeth checked and visit the doctors with out having to worry about money and how much will it cost and paying the fee for visiting to be honest the healthcare in the U.S is a living joke i nearly dies in 2001 because my airway was closing up due to ulcers in my throat and because i never had health insurance I couldn't get the help mi needed and I was new to the country then, my husband thinks it's good healthcare isn't free because... (more)

I had cancer when I was 17. After I graduated college, my career choices seemed limited due to my health care options. I wasn't going to be able to start my own business or do freelance work very well due to the difficulty with health care. America is a place for ideals and dreams and we should support the pursuit of those in any way we can. Health care should not hold us back but should be a fundamentally supported portion of the American Dream.

My brother does not have any adequate health care. He lives and works in Michigan. He does not have one full-time job because MI is in bad economic straits. He has two part-time jobs and as a result he does not have any health care. Why is it that he cannot receive affordable health care when he pays taxes on every penny that he earns.

I am 63 years old and retired early because of preexisting medical conditions. My health makes it impossible for me to get quality insurance coverage. My medical conditions need to be monitored and treated with medication. One insurance company gave me a quote of $1300 per month for premiums for coverage that still had a lot of out of pocket costs. This premium is higher than I receive on my monthly Social Security check. I have very minimal insurance coverage that I can afford but it covers no hospitalization and has a lot of other... (more)

We own a small broadband communications company and have found our company's medical insurance goes up every year. The percentage that it goes up is way above the percentage of the growth of our company forcing us to re-evaluate each year cutting other expenses including salarys. Small businesses are especially vulnerable because the rates are so much higher than larger companies. Please make health insurance affordable so small businesses can grow. We deal with vendors all over the country and what affects us affects them. The trickle down... (more)

I am a federal government worker and my parents are 80+. Due to the cost of health insurance, I was forced to pick up the monthly bill to continue their coverage when they decided that they could no longer pay for it. They are on a fixed monthly income and cannot afford the payments.

Both my wife and I were unemployed for several months in 2007 and without any form of health insurance. After we both got jobs and just before (one day) our health coverage my wife was hospitalized for three days. The result was a $16,000.00 medical bill which we are still trying to pay off. Something is wrong with a country that cannot meet the minimum standards of other industrialized nations yet continue to tax its citizens the way this one does