I can't afford to offer it to my employees any more. The cost is absurd. We need a a payer system with the option to buy more expensive coverage if you insist on it.

As an artist and freelancer, I have frequently had to go without health insurance for periods of time.

I am very fortunate to have lived to see 8 great-grandchildren born and I thank G-d everyday. It saddens me though that their mothers have to decide if they're "sick" enough for a visit to the doctor's office or the dentist's office because they can't afford health insurance, forget dental insurance. When I retired 7 yrs., ago my S.S., was $690.00 a mo., & it was enough to exist on. Once in awhile I could give one of my grandkids a $10.00 bill for a b-day present. Today my S.S., is $803.00, & because of some repairs... (more)

As a teacher, I find it horrendous that a child who needs eye glasses may not receive them because his mother's insurance doesn't cover the cost of frames. While I believe that we need a single payer system where all Americans are covered, it is a moral imperative that we at the very least cover every child.

I am a 27 year old relatively healthy female who has not had any medical insurance for the past five years. There are certain things about my body, tweeks in my hips and knees that weren't there before, a mole on my face that has recently appeared, sometimes tenderness in my breasts, that are definite concerns for me. Because of my inability to afford or be provided health insurance through my employer, I have to weigh my options: do I pay my bills, or do I make sure my health is ok? Over and over again, I have to set aside my health... (more)

I run a small business. My smallbusiness insurance costs me near $300 a month. Even when times are good that is very difficult to afford. now that the recession has all but crippled my business I am no longer able to afford health insurance, which I need as I have a weak immune system and rhuematoid arthritis. You would think a small business owner would be afforded the cheapest of health care plans in order to be able to stay in business. Not the case. We pay out of pocket and it is very difficult to keep up. How is this fair? Thank God... (more)

I have elderly grandparents who spend so much of their income on perscription drugs that their children and grandchildren have to buy their groceries. What happens to the elderly who do not have a family like this to support them? who is helping those people?

I am a medical sociologist at Arizona State University. I am distinctly aware of the inequality in health care provisions that are resultant of a for-profit health care system. Our system must reduce its operating costs by intergrating out health care costs will continue to escalate as quality of care remains mediocre.

Please reform health care. I spent the last two years working in health care, and I have observed a significant amount of money being wasted, while those who needed help the most were chronically being turned away, or burdened with a myriad of debt. Our health care system is extremely inefficient, and reform needs to happen now, before more money is wasted.

I am a college student right now, so my health care costs are low. I am concerned, however, that without health care reform costs could swamp our economy and drag America down. We need to handle this problem, even if it is difficult, now rather than later...

Put simply, I am recently unemployed and lost my health care coverage. Without adequate income, there is absolutely no way I can afford the extremely high-priced private (individual) Health Care Insurance. As a result, I have had to choose to have no Health Care coverage at all, and risk further financial ruin if something happens to my health, which is a real possibility for me. It seems to me that low-cost individual health care could be made possible by grouping the have-nots (or unemployed) into a "group" of their own, through... (more)

My brother is ill, perhaps with a serious neurological disease. He is self-employed, he only has catastrophic health care coverage, since he makes 36K and is paying off debt, including huge student loans. He is only 26. He cannot afford the cost for a diagnosis. He's making the choice to try to keep out of staggering debt, while sacrificing his health. It makes me wish I lived in a country where quality health-care was affordable for everyone -- even those of us who are in the lower middle class. He's suffering, and he needs help. So many of... (more)

As a registered nurse of 7 years, I have seen the rising health care costs devastate families and patients alike. I have been calling for an adequate nationalized health care system for years, in order to ensure that patients and their families will not find themselves choosing groceries and housing needs over their own health. My friend's father recently had a severe heart attack, and now faces millions of dollars in related costs. It is a tragedy to know that a previously healthy man is not only faced with the medical reprocusions of this... (more)

I recently graduated from ASU with a degree in Fine Arts, which is not a field in which benefits are often available. I worked throughout my college years full-time in order to receive adequate and affordable health care. However, in my final semester, my hours were reduced and my benefits were dropped, leaving me with no health benefits. As a full-time student, I was able to obtain insurance through the university, however, it was too late in the school year to purchase the plan. I now find myself in a position where I am trying to find a... (more)

Being single insurance cost to much but as the number of vets who are coming home hurt i want the VA freed up from cost some I am will to start paying for my VA

My son who supports two children and earns too much to get ACCHS, and get absolutely no healthcare at work. Is forced to pay cash or skip getting medical care because our government does not provide it for middle class americans. What would happen to his children if he became ill and could no longer work? Their lives would be worse!

I am a graduate student and work part-time just to get by. The cost of my health insurance is more than $100 per month, which is a huge burden on me and my hourly rated income. Those who seek higher education should not be penalized by the health care system and it is time for reform that reduces the cost of health care.

I have out of work parents in their 50's and a my mother has Diabetes an lupus. Since my father lost his job they drained most of their savings simply paying out of pocket for cobra and care. When the money ran out and they had a gap in coverage all of my mothers problems have been marked as preexisting condtions. This is not a 3rd world country. Please bring us into the 21st century. People should not be forced to spend their life savings on bureaucracy.

I have a few ailments that I would have taken care of by now if the cost was not out of pocket. I have health insurance, but with a $5000 anual deductible, so I basically pay for everything.

For the past three years my girlfriend has worked very hard teaching life skills at the K-3 level at a public school in Scottsdale, AZ. The majority of students at this school and in her class come from very low socio-economic Latino families. She recently scored a 49.5/50 on a performance evaluation and was chosen by the staff as the teacher of the month for April 2009. Now this is a job that's not only difficult, but there aren't many people willing to do it, it's often messy, and she's been shown very little appreciation from her... (more)