I am a laid off unemployed single mom. I have never had to use public services and have always paid my taxes and never have I received a even a tax refund due to my old income. But now since my 17 year career was terminated. I am now starting over going back to school and desperately will need some help insuring myself and my infant daughter. The new Cobra plan has helped but what will happen when that ends.

When our daughter got married, we were surprised to learn that our new son-in-law did not have health care or dental insurance. He was 30 years old and a college graduate, but his employer did not offer benefits of any kind and he could not afford the coverage on his own. Now, he is covered under our daughter's insurance plan. We think that not being able to afford health insurance is not acceptable.Every citizen in America should have a plan.

I am a recent University graduate who at this time is unable to obtain a job with sufficient health care benefits. I am currently not insured, and fear that if I am to get in a major accident in the future I will be haunted by debt for the rest of my life.

I had a brain tumor as a child. If my parents had not had insurance, we would have been over tens of thousands of dollars in debt. I was lucky. Others are not, and in a country like America, that should not be so.

My wife & I both have full-time jobs and overlapping coverage through employers; so our costs and services are relatively stable. By contrast, my brother age 47, has a family of kids and no coverage even though he works full time - he simply cannot afford to buy insurance. We are uncertain about any kind of retirement, as the costs of healthcare insurance after retirement (in several more years) cannot be predicted nor budgeted in any accurate way. This has got to change!

the cost of health care is what needs to be examined. A single dose of Tylenol at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, CA is $150.00. That is more than two doctors visits. My friend was given a rinse free shampoo bag when she was in the hospital and they charge her insurance $34.00 for it. It is not the health care that is wrong, it is the pharmaceutical companies that have created the problems with their greediness.

I know friends and relatives here in California who work hard everyday, but cannot afford healthcare. One of them just tested positive for diabetes, and has probably been diabetic for a while without knowing it. He is a lawyer.

I am one that has HIV/Aids so coverages is very important to me, and forture to have covrage, because my Meds are out of this world. I have friends do not have coverages, and see then suffer to pay their medical bills. So please think those so less forture. I do. Kane Ortega

My Story I am on medical. I pay $140.00 a month for medical plus help with drug cost. Plus $135.00 a year for decutable. plus 20@ I know it does;nt sound like a lot of money to most of you. at this point i can not afford medical coverage. this does not include glasses or dental. next year I will have to drop medicare to get glasses and dental work done. plus pay off last years and this years co pays and decutables. Vickie Vermilya I am sending you my sister Vickie Vermilya horror storie. I cant belive it is happening in our... (more)

Hello Mr President. We are middle class family who has little income to support the family and some assets secure for the future. I am paying $750 per month in insurance for 2 of us. Kids have Healthy Families, Thanks to State of Calif. I start the insurance with Kaiser in 1998, only for my wife who has Lupus and since then a not have guts to cancel because if we out of covergae for 1 day, they will not give us again because of pre existing condition and secondly, I start that insurance with $62 a month which have less co-pay and more... (more)

In 2006 my 85 year old terminally ill mother lay in a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama suffering from pneumonia, dehydration and other complications from blood cancer and COPD. This was her second or third hospitalization in a matter of months. She could no longer care for herself at home nor could her 83 year old husband (with a heart condition who also cared for his 90 year old blind sister) care for her. Her doctor could not, understandably, release her from the hospital without other arrangements being made for her care. Options were... (more)

Being currently unemployed the cost of health care for myself and my two kids is out of the question. After finding out the cost of maintaining our health care I never gave it a second thought about droping the coverage. luckily we have remained healthy but we could use a dentist appointment soon, it has been over a year. Thanks Robert Knestrick

I am a provider at 2 Native American Health Clinics.As it is, we struggle to care for our Native American patients. With the coming financial health dollar cuts and associated resources for our programs. Our Native American patients and the other low income and poverty patients we see will not always get the preventative care they need. This puts them at risk for greater health problems and diseases which leeds to increased morbidity and mortality increases. Please do not cut our programs and resources.

My husband recently had a stroke in his right eye which has left him blind on that side. We are on Social Security and can't afford MediCare. As a result, we didn't even know that he had hypertension until the stroke, at which time his BP was 256/120. This has been devastating to us, and we can't afford the appropriate follow-up with a retinal specialist, much less a family practice doc to help us bring his BP down...this isn't right. He has worked almost 50 years of his life only to find out that neither of us can afford to have proper... (more)

A trip to ER should not cost over $10,000 when no procedures were perfomed. A CT Scan and one pill for pain= $10,000.00

We pay more for health insurance (with a $2500 deductable) than we pay for housing and utilities combined. Health insurance is a very large part of our budget. We need single payer health care. Sincerely, Anna and Gerald Marcus Chico, Ca.

There is a saying, "When programmers fail to write a solution, all then need to do is to take a good break and return later to a problem with fresh eyes and a mind set." I believe, it is not limited to programmer, or writers to improve their writing, but far more reaching as run a country or adapt a new health plan. I salute what president Obama's is aiming for and would like to provide support as citizen of this country. I came here from Russia and one thing I have notice for sure is that high paid doctors here are not so much... (more)

My friend cannot leave a job she hates because she has health care and she cannot afford to pay for it on her own. She is a young woman who feels trapped and is just starting out in life.

I went to the hospital after a car accident and the doctor said I had to leave because I could not pay for the life-saving medical care, which just happened to be fifteen stitches!

I remember when all I had to pay was a small copay when I went to the doctor for anything, no matter how many tests needed, etc. Since the mid 1990's I've seen my monthly premium skyrocket from $60/month to over $250/mo. When my cobra ran out in the late 90s I tried to get Blue Cross or Blue Shield. I was too honest and put "neck pain" and "motrin" on my application. They denied me. I couldn't believe it! Later they sent me a letter that they would be so kind as to insure me for $1000/mo. Later, I found a plan online... (more)