I have not had health insurance for over five years - since it was cancelled after my husband was hurt on the job and put on disability. He's now on medicare, so he is being taken care of. But I have fallen through the cracks. I'm 60, so I've got a few more years before I can be on medicare also. The upside to all this is that I take really good care of myself. I make sure that I eat well, exercise and treat the minor ailments that I am getting as I get older. But the one thing that worries me is the possibility of being in an accident. ... (more)

I have health insurance through my employer, but still can't afford the co-pays. My dental insurance must reimburse me because the care I need is atypical, and I do not have the money to pay out of pocket and wait to be reimbursed. My job will end in Spring of 2010, and along with it, my insurance. Please don't leave me with no way to care for myself.

I am a retired 65 year old American citizen now facing the challenge of colon cancer without significant healthcare reform immeadiately I am facing bankrupcy and a much earlier death; both can be remedied by President Obama's healtcare plan.

I am 27 years-old and have never had health care or dental. I was a Foster child and never really thought I had health care even then. I came from a low-income home and it was always assumed that we, (my two older siters and I,) just had to "stay healthy" because there was never any way that we could pay for medical attention. I also had a wreck when I was about 24, and the medical bills and lack of settlement from the guilty party, led me to file for bancruptcy due to the medical bills alone. Even now, health issues... (more)

My 11 year old daughter had a temporal lobectomy for epilepsy in fall 2007. We are still working on getting the bills straightened out! Just when we get a bill settled, another bill for something else appears. They use confusing lingo, and are constantly sending us to a different department, or saying the proper forms oren't on file, etc. It baffles us when a bill will be for thousands of dollars, and then the insurance company will adjust it and end up paying maybe 1/4th of what was originally owed, and the hospital or doctors are okay... (more)

I've been uninsured for years, the costs are above my budget. to ensure a solid workforce, the country should insure its citizens -- just like every other major industrialized nation. No one wants a nanny state, but we also can't afford a tyrannical plutocracy either

My husband and I are paying almost $1200 a month for health care policies that are almost useless. We both worked all our lives for large corporations, and are now retired. We are both in our early 60s. We're fortunate that we can afford, barely, our monthly premiums...but, I have a $2,500 annual deductable and my husband has as $5,000 deductible. That means that we pay out of our own pocket for all our routine care. Because of that reason, we rarely go to the doctor because we simply cannot afford the extra expense...and, we have... (more)

I just found out today that the health insurer my employer contracted with has been thrown out of the contract it had with a MAJOR health provider here in Louisville, even though it had a contract with this major provider and the contract was not over until 9/10. Now everyone will have to scurry around to try to find new providers. That's unconscionable. Does a contract not mean anything??? WE NEED HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW!!!!!

Require "single payer" as one of the choices. I just heard on the news that the senate kicked out physicians from an initial health care debate for speaking up for American Citizens and pushing for Universal, single payer, ADULT health care as an option for anyone who chooses to forego private coverage. Physicians and American Citizens should be the only people at the table. Congressmen who receive money from insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies should be barred from negotiations. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO SCREW THIS UP. My... (more)

Last year my wife and myself, after years of working for corporate America, left our jobs and our health care to move closer to our families and pursue our lifelong creative dreams. Without a 9-5 job which holds no meaning for either of us we were lead to the private market for insurance as self-employed consultants. Without the power to buy through a group or have our employers pay for it we are now faced with insurance costs that our half our monthly income and that is at the lowest level of coverage with the highest deductible. We are... (more)

I am self employed and have to buy my own health care. I can't afford a great plan so I pay a lot of out of pocket money for my prescriptions and doctor visits. My doctor recently prescribed several ultrasounds and mamograms. The tests were expensive and I ended up paying close to $1000. for the tests even after my insurance coverage. I also pay for high blood pressure meds that cost $80.00 a month. The Amereican people want good health care not fluffy robes to wear while waiting to see a doctor you've waited six months to see!! Our health... (more)

I have no health insurance and I know how that feels .not every one can afford it and as far as the elders that have worked all their lives this is what they get , and vets and many others that have servered this country .Im diabled and have no insurance and i have many health issues .

Hi, My father is in the final stages of COPD. Everytime he must see a new doctor or specialist, he has to tell his story all over again. This is wasteful. I stand for using the Medicare database system as a benchmark to create a medical data clearinghouse for medical professionals to access.

My wife has been sick for over 5 years now, but she lost her insurance when she lost her job - she lost her job for missing too many days from being sick. We were unable to keep paying for any other insurance. Now we can't get health coverage, and even if we could almost any claim would be rejected as a "pre-existing condition" since she was without insurance before a diagnosis. Our only access to healthcare is through the clinic and the ER - and all the ER does is stabilize her and send us home - with a massive bill we can't pay. We... (more)

I have health care at a very fair price through my employer. However, my benefits have changed in order for my employer to keep the cost down for me (increased out of pocket expenses and decreased provider options). I pray that these benefits will not continue to dwindle. I pray that I can always depend on preventive care for me and my son. I pray that every American can soon obtain basic affordable care. Thanks for caring. Thanks for listening.

I was born with Sickle Cell Disease and Beta Thalassemia.I am trying to get my work disability and because I have other health issues,they say because of the disease I was born with,is the reason I have the other health issues(sciatic nerve,emphysema,asthma,severe sleep apnea,etc.).I need a voice on preexisting conditions and I hope you are that voice.There are insurance companies coming out of the woodwork who say they will insure you,but the price is so high,you can't afford it.Especially if you are on a fixed income.I hope that you hear my... (more)

Well, I don't have any. Health care that is. Last year I had some chest pains--really spooked the shit out of me. So I went to a doctor my Mom recommended...he did an x-ray and told me, "Well, you probably may not have had heart attack. But to be sure, we can do another test. $500." I said, "I'll just have to live with the doubt" And I did. And I do And I still had to pay a visitation fee of $150. For DOUBT. Think about it. Inflation must be pretty bad when abstract concepts are hitting triple digits, yes? Sorry, but... (more)

Don't get me started. I'll cut to the chase. It seems that we have 2099 health care drugs, machines and technical procedures because we support research and development with out taxes, and university graduate students do a lot of it, but SOMEHOW, we all seem to have 1982 paychecks because of the "Great Regan" trickle down economics lie, that industries use to export jobs and import workers in the health feild as well as others. Our health care system is also a scare tatic system. That is the only reason I can think of for our live... (more)

After my mom and dad seperated when i was young my mom crashed her car. She lost the apartment and my aunt took my brother in. She had two kids yet somehow she managed to raise us while my mom was homeless. Durring the two and a half years living there my mom was on the waiting list for government aid bacause she was disabled from a falling down the steps at her work shorly hafter my brother was born. When we did move back in with my mom the only way to take us to the doctor was to apply for government insurance throught the state. The only... (more)

My job offers insurance free, but the dedutible is high and it doesn't cover much. I'm an veteran, so I go to the VA hospital, it is very affordable to me( i pay for prescriptions at a low cost, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get any coverage. My daughter has no insurance because she is 23. She has to go to a community clinic where she pays a small amount(sliding scale according to her income) otherwise she wouldn't have any coverage. At least, she can get generic prescriptions as long as she has the money to pay for her copay and... (more)