Dear Representative Chaffetz,
Six years ago I went in for a routine ultra-sound at 12 weeks into my fourth pregnancy. At the exam, on one of the darkest days of my life, my technician found a large tumor growing on my daughter's lung. In the ensuing months and years, I fought the monstrous bureaucracy that is private health insurance (and I have one of the "good" providers) in order to get care for my daughter. In addition to the hundreds of additional hours a year I spend on her care because of resulting chronic conditions, I spend another hundred each year dealing with insurance on providers, over-billing, and fighting for coverage of the proper drugs for her; then there is the two to three hundred dollars a month on out of pocket expenses for co-pays on drugs and doctor' visits.
I often wonder how many years of my life are gone due to the hours I spend in pursuit of health for my daughter, and to the enormous amount of stress I feel about procuring the funds and the approval needed to insure her care.
I compare this to my experience 19 years ago when I was living in California attending graduate school, pregnant with my second daughter, receiving care through California's Medicare system. We had choice, excellent care, and a very limited amount of red-tape to deal with, as well as a measure of peace-of-mind that comes with knowing that if the absolute worst happens, we had some security.
I would like to see the option to buy into Medicare made available to all because I would like the option of health care coverage by an entity whose concern includes public health and welfare rather than the only choice that is currently available: a private provider whose sole concern is their own bottom line.
I'm writing to encourage you to support comprehensive health care reform in order to help reduce health care costs and to provide greater security for the people of our country. Offering the choice to buy into Medicare to everyone seems to be the most logical, simple, and moral way to provide us all with a more stable health care system, and thus a physically and economically healthier population.
Thank you for your attention and quick response on this most urgent matter.
Sincerely yours,
Lara Candland Asplund
1 day ago
5 comments:
lara - this is great. Send a copy to both Senators Hatch & Bennett. They like to receive this by email. Obviously, go to the federal gov. website to get their emails. OR, call their local offices here in Utah and ask for a face-to-face meeting as they are home during the Aug recess. Tell them that you have a group of very concerned 'voters' who would like to meet with them. I will definitely come with statistics on better health care & outcomes in nations which are seen as less well off as the US. CC President Obama on your story. Let me know.Trish
Amen! Those who use roads, police and fire departments, social security, medicaid, medicare, along with other government run programs should have no difficulty with this proposal. People who are concerned with the the very real possibility of losing their coverage, their rates increasing, and over billing should also support the public option. I understand that 83% of Americans support the public option, yet Congress needs to hear from us -- no matter what party you belong to (or don't belong to).
This is kickass.
So say we all!
This is a great letter. I love the simplicity of the Medicaid proposal. It also references obliquely how California is melting down. Keep trying, though, especially now. My email boxes are full. I agree with Patricia, especially if you have friends who will go. Also, definitely cc the WH.
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