These stories come from the real people who live with a broken health care system. Some have health insurance and some do not. Many of these stories suggest potential solutions* that lead to quality, affordable health care we can count on. One thing we all agree on is that the we cannot trust the insurance industry to fix themselves. To learn more about what Health Care for America Now stands for read our Statement of Common Purpose.
We wanted to give you a chance to speak for yourself, in your own voice, about the need for Health Care for America Now. Do you have something to say? Tell us your story.
for
DawnHeather
Vancouver, WA
I am a 55-year old woman with a variety of chronic health conditions. I've worked all my life (since I was 15), often working multiple jobs to make ends meet. I moved to Washington state from Hawaii two years ago. I had health insurance on COBRA from a former employer when I left Hawaii. The plan I had then included vision and dental care. I felt pretty good about it, but knew, even then, I was one medical emergency away from financial disaster. When my COBRA ran out in March of 2007, I switched to the most-comparable individual plan I could find. It was a little more expensive than my COBRA plan, and didn't cover quite as much (nothing on visual or dental, and not all the other coverage I had had). I researched a lot of plans to find this, and it appeared to be the best I could do. Since then, my coverage has decreased considerably, and my premiums have doubled. Things that used to count toward my deductible no longer do (I had no deductible on my COBRA plan). I do temp work, and my agency has a group plan that's very reasonably priced, but wouldn't even cover one month of my usual medical expenses. I have resorted to taking only SOME of the medications I SHOULD be on, and not seeing the doctors when I really should. It's not a very good choice, because not getting regular medical care and medications will probably lead to serious complications, and increased costs, later on. Meanwhile, a friend of mine who also works for the same temp agency took the agency's insurance. At 29, she was recently diagnosed with a very aggressive breast cancer requiring surgery, chemo and radiation. She ran through all of her benefits within the first week after her diagnosis.
*Health Care for America Now is not responsible for the content of these stories. These stories are submitted by individuals in the online audience and have been edited in some cases. Health Care For America Now does not endorse any of the solutions or policy positions suggested in the content of these stories. Health Care for America Now is a coalition of organizations that agree to the Statement of Common Purpose.
See our coalition partner list.
Read the Statement of Common Purpose.
