Each year challenges my wife and I with less coverage, limited practictioner options, generic Rx with known personal ineffectiveness, and, of course, a bigger chunk of our budget (and less take-home salary). We need to provide quality healthcare at a reasonable price to protect our economy from the impact of a massive generation of retirees stresses the industry. Story: We live in Vancouver WA and our Health plan is managed in Portland OR. Alternative Care (chiropractor, ...) is a mandate in WA but not OR. We must pay out-of-pocket... (more)

I am disable and on Disability insurance. My wife still works full time and has health care coverage for both of us which we pay for. But It only covers 80%. Recently, my wife had a full knee replacement and the bill was nearly 40 thousand dollars. That left us with a bill of nearly 7000.00 dollars to pay off ourselves. We are able to pay a monthly amount on this bill, but combined with the other medical bill associated with this surgery, we had to take our loans in order to pay our regular bills. This happened to us nine years ago when... (more)

I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in Feb 1988 and have had health insurance for many years still paying 200.00 on top of what my employers werer paying. I changed jobs and now I cant get coverage because of my MS pre existing condition and the coverage costs. Please reform health care

I have quality health care through Medicare. Every American deserves quality health care. Give us real health care reform with a single-payer choice.

I work in Human Resources and know the exorbitant costs of healthcare plans. While my employer pays 100% of the employee's premiums, I now for a fact many of their spouses are going without insurance because they cannot afford to carry insurance on the entire family. These hard-working employees are barely making enough each month to pay for the cost of child premiums. I care about these people and welcome a better system.

Currently my husband is laid off, and I am so very close to being laid off. What will happen to us if we are both not working? We will have no insurance! We will make too much on un-employment but not enough to pay for personal insurance. I have had a rare blood disorder that caused me to loose my spleen! I need insurance. Everyone that is a US CITIZEN shoudl have insurance!

I am 82 years old and in relatively good health. But in my lifetime I have seen others and felt their pain--- and indignation at the callous treatment that "those who cannot pay" have to endure for even the minimum health care that the indigent receive in the USA.

I married to secure insurance for mandatory surgery and for prescriptions needed to maintain health to hold a job. Needless to say, this is the wrong reason to marry. This is not a love story with a happy ending. I now have health coverage through my employer, but only after 7 yrs. of brutal unhappiness w/the wrong person. Survival forces bad decisions. Please help other women in my position and worse to be able to care for themselves without selling themselves out.

I have been suffering from what I think maybe Sciatic Nerve pain since October of 08. My husband was laied off his job in June of 08 so we have no Insurance so I can't go to the doctor. I am the only bears winner in our family making 11.00 an hour working 65-68 hours a week so that we can try and pay the bills. All I want is to go to a doctor so that they can tellme how I can cure this pain tht I have had for 7 months now. I can not sit for more the 10 min at a time and if I walk to much I can not do anything but breath deap and hope that it... (more)

my wife and myself pay 2000 a year in premiums employer pays 12000 and i still had to pay 6000 out of pocket and it just keep getting worse every year.There is no such thing as preventative care. we have to make decisions on what we can and cant do. Good forbid if we get sick we will lose every thing.

I am a 67 year old retired RN who went to college when I was 40 years old because I always wanted to be a Nurse. I love my profession and now at 67 I'm facing lung cancer, I've had surgery removing the right upper lobe on April 30th. I am recooperating here at home and am worrying about all of the costs that I will be faced with. I have been told that I need Chemotherapy, and I've checked on line and some of the chemo meds are $6,000.00 and up per injection. I remember the last 12 years of my nursing career was in Home Care and many of my... (more)

While the rest of my family has Health Care, I do not because I make too much money even though we are Low Income and get it thru the State of Washington and I was cut off a few months ago and I can't afford Health Care thru the Plan at where I work it would be a burden on my income and my family to get it thru work. I would like to have access to affordable Health Care for myself in case I get hurt or sick. I would like the State to raise their income limit a little higher I just barely made over the limit and was cut off from it.

I have health insurance as of now and I'm retired but who know what will happen in the near future. There are families that are making choices, food or rent. How can we teach our young children that america is the place of opportunity where dreams come true. I always try to give in my community especially to the schools. Our children are our future and we need to take care of them.

My son Phillip came home from college after his sophomore year, and we discovered he had Hodgkin's disease. I had to fight the Foundation insurance company to force them to continue to cover him when we went back to college in the fall. I finally had to rely on the State Health Care Authority to force them to cover him, even it was in their contract with state employees. I favor single, federal payer. But at a minimum, allow a public choice, such as the option of enrolling in Medicare.

I currently pay $1400/year, which is now nontaxable for me and my employer, for my family's dental and medical insurance. I also have a flexible spending account that is pre-tax, and I can use that for any qualified out of pocket medical expenses. It is extremely important to retain this tax advantage, so that my insurance is affordable and my employer can provide the insurance without increasing premiums for their employees.

I have no job, little income and Multiple Sclerosis. I live in Washington State and was able to get health care through the state's Basic Health care program. I also receive help in paying for my very expensive medication from the drug company itself. I have found programs to help pay for MRI's as well. I am grateful for the assistance I have received, getting it however was not easy. MS drains your energy and at times I just wanted to give up. Now Washington state is going to cut many people from the Basic Health program and I fear I will be... (more)

When I was laid off last April, the offer of continued health care was laughable. COBRA cost more than a month's rent and wouldn't last beyond the end of the year. I can't eat insurance and I need a place to live. I passed up COBRA. I have NO health care plan of any kind. That condition is likely to continue until I get a job and even then it may not be sufficient insurance for actual health care needs. Bankruptcy is lurking at my back; no income, no health care insurance, and I'm pushing fifty, from the other side.

Our son was turned down for a policy by Blue Shield in Washington State because of mild health issues. We must have a public option as well as private guaranteed issue, no pre-existing condition clauses, and an individual mandate so we all share the risks.

I want my health services provider to know they have complete information about my health profile. I want doctors to get paid what they are worth instead of them having to game the insurance industry to make a living. I also want more preventative care encouraged from more sources than my personal physician.

I am 22 years old and I don't even HAVE any healthcare. I thought living in this country would give me the right to live well, I guess not:(