As a person with AIDS/HIV, I rely upon a steady dose of prescriptions to retain my good health. If I change jobs or if my employer's health care expenses must be cut, I worry about how to ensure steady access to the medications and care that I need. I look forward to the day when all Americans can search for the best job available to their talent, instead of choosing a job just because of the health benefits.

I have first-hand experience of why the US needs health reform. My mother is an Alzheimer's sufferer and resides in the UK. While she and her husband had enough saved for their retirement, they are not wealthy. Since her diagnosis my mother has received nursing care at home and will soon be entering a wonderful care facility. The entire cost has been covered by the government. Had it not been, this would have long ago bankrupted them. It is only right that any first-world country look after their sick and elderly. This is not socialism,... (more)

I work in construction between projects i have to go on Cobra , We can hardly afford the insurance . It is very expensive and it a very bad system .

My husband owns a small business. We try to provide health care for our employees. Each year our costs go up 10 - 20%. I don't know how much longer we can continue to offer health insurance to our employees.....or for ourselves.

I've travelled widely in Europe and one time my wife had a serious illness there. I was so impressed in England, France, and Italy provided us with excellent care on our travels, including surgery at no "real" cost to us. The care there is patient based, and people have a right to it. WE NEED TO REGARD HEALTH CARE AS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT, NOT A FOR PROFIT BUSINESS. EVERY AMERICAN IS ENTITLED TO THE BEST CARE AVAILABLE. ALL AMERICANS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST AS GOOD HEALTH CARE AS CONGRESS HAS. WE NEED A SINGLE PAYER, UNIVERSAL HEALTH... (more)

I have personally extended the time between necessary medical appointments because of the cost. I am a young woman, just starting her career as an attorney, and the extra costs of health care accompanied with the high cost of my student loan repayments placed me in a position where I had to make a financial decision about seeking medical care rather than one based solely on my personal healthcare needs.

Health care should be universal!

Dysfunctional FDA with Puritanical view of pain relief medication for OTC (compare to Europe) Companies selling orthotics for $500 out of stiff plastic that probably cost $2 to make. Optometrist lobby in every state making it impossible to buy contact lenses without a new prescription every year. The contacts cost $18, but the exam costs $100+ and my vision isn't changing, such a scam setup to line the optometrist's pocket with easy money, not unlike AIG.

Thank God I'm a veteran and for the most part my health care needs are met through the VA. Still on occasion I need dental work done which the VA doesn,t cover. Mr. President, keep up the good, hard, and much needed work. May BLESSINGS from God keep flowing your way upon you and those you love, as well as America and the world.

My girlfriend works for a non-profit orginization and makes little money for the care she gives the mentally handicapped clients all day. Her orginization cut her healthcare and she's spending hundereds of dollars a month(that she can't spare) on her perscriptions. She thinking of leaving the job and getting a desk job with better healthcare because of it and it's terrible she's made to make that choice.

I am 74 years old. I have insurance but I pay $290/mo.extra for long-term care insurance from CAL PERS. So far I've paid in over $30 into this fund. My condo unit has lost half its value. I'm considering dropping the long term care because of the high cost in a time when I need to conserve my money. No more cushion of equity for me to rely on in case of an emergency. Health care reform should address issues such as these for the generation that is getting squeezed out and whose loss of assets will not come back to where they were in our... (more)

As the Internet opens the opportunity for more and more educated professionals to operate their own businesses as independent vendors, contractors, consultants, creative professionals, etc., it is imperative that we have a health care system that enables these people to purchase affordable health care as independents. The current system keeps such individuals locked in corporate jobs just to keep their benefits, preventing them from creating thousands of sole-proprietorships and partnerships on their own, which in turn squelches small business... (more)

In the summer of 2005, my husband, Nate, was diagnosed with having a softball-sized tumor in his head that was surrounding his carotid artery. It was not malignant but was life-threatening. Because it was surrounding his artery, if it were to have ruptured for any reason (car accident, sneezing too hard, etc.), he would have bled to death in a matter of minutes. He was 23 years old, I was 24. I had just graduated from college and did not yet have a "real" job; I was working at Home Depot to try to make ends meet. We had relocated... (more)

As a former Canadian, I value a national health care program not run by insurance companies who lie to us. I am willing to wait for a treatment than be denied it. I am unhappy with the independent health care program that costs over $5,000 a year with deductables of $5,000 per person in my family. What value is there in this "catastrophic coverage"? Even if I held stock in these health care companies, I am unhappy with the business goal that places stock price value over health care. There has to be a balance. Can't the... (more)

When my daughter left graduate school about 7 or 8 years ago, it appeared that she would have few, if any, choices for health insurance coverage. Because she had been treated for depression and continued to be on medication, she was routinely turned down by all of the private health insurance companies she applied to. We were told that she could apply to the State of California's high risk pool, which wasn't inexpensive (nearly $400 a month, I believe, at that time. We were also warned that there would be approximately an 8 month wait. ... (more)

I am an uninsured mother of two. I am diabetic and my youngest is an asthamtic, although my children receive healthy families through the state of California; I have to rely on Indian Health Service to receive my basic healthcare needs. Many times, I've waited months in advance to receive a doctors visit; as the economy, has instigated a surge in use of Indian Health Services among Native Americans. My profession is in Dental. All to often I see doctors overpaid, while they have the liberty to reject certain clientel based on the type... (more)

HIv Positive and disabled and out of work. Can;t afford anything even health care eye and dent care. Demeaning at best. Brad Jones...Former SVP Gallup Polls

In 2005-2006 I was unemployed and went without healthcare for the first time in my adult life. I cannot tell you how scared and ashamed I was not to have health care. Luckily for me I did not get ill or have an accident. Too many more people are not as lucky and as a land of the free, home of the brave we owe it to our countrymen to have affordable healthcare for ALL citizens!

I recently watched the movie "sicko" and had an epiphany when they interviewed people in Canada, England and France as they were leaving the hospital. When asked how much they had to pay for their hospital visit, not only did they say it was free, but most of them laughed because for them health care is a human right that is (of course!) free and it had never occurred to them that in some countries people have to pay to be healthy. Wow, I thought, why haven't we figured out how to have this in our country? If I get sick will I have... (more)

My mother in law is 89 years of age and relies on MEDICARE. Some of her required dieabetes medications are covered and some are not A sneior citzen of this wealthy country deserves a better healt care system that is avaliable to our elderly! I emphatically ask you to reform or health cae system to reflect equall the great country in whic we live. The poeple of this nation desrve better not the HMO's, not the Pharmaceutical Companies whose profits stagger the mind