I know it's anecdotal but... Working Families Struggling To Find Affordable Insurance, Health Care

[Roland99]

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=5692101

Starting in 2002, Clay battled heart problems, cancer, and a car wreck requiring two neck surgeries. In September of 2005, the state took the family off Medicaid, saying their income was too high -- but it wasn't enough to pay for private insurance.

...

The family had to declare bankruptcy due to medical bills, and a short time later Clay developed a lump on his neck.

...

Weighing the price of living and the cost of leaving, caught up to the 45-year-old on January 20, 2006. "We have a safe in our home," Eileen recalls. He asked me to open it. And he said 'there's a cat out there bothering me.' He goes: 'I'm just going to go shoot it.' And the next thing I knew ... he killed himself."

...

State Rep. Bob DeWeese, R-Louisville, a former general surgeon, says the health care system needs to be fixed, not abandoned. He believes each state should focus on incentives for patients to get preventative care.

Yeah, preventative care is the answer to everything. :eyes:


:(

[FloridaPat]

1. Preventive care is the answer to everything if we had a clue on

how to prevent anything. I finally got a job with health insurance after 4 years of not being able to afford $1000 a month for health insurance. Thanks to God, I didn't have anything serious enough to go to a hospital. Being the only industrialized country in the world without health insurance - but having the largest military budget for almost the entire world combined - really makes one wonder what really went wrong in this country.

[Roland99]

2. I'm relatively young and quite healthy, was looking at $550/mo. at my last job to add my daughter.

That's insane.

[physioex]

3. No kiddin...

For all the money we squandered, we could have built colleges, funded schools, paid for healthcare, and truly secured this country....

[Vinca]

4. Preventive care is the solution?

Only if it's followed by treatment and that's the crux of the problem. Everyone knows I'm uninsured - I'm always carping about it. What you don't know is I've already resigned myself to an early death should the worst happen before I'm insured again. I could never bankrupt my family and leave them in a box on the street. I'd rather off myself. That's the bottom line here if you can't afford insurance. Bankrupt and living on the street or a bullet to the head. What a great country we live in.

[nancyr]

5. I agree totally.

I've already made my plans to make an exit when the time comes...I won't be hanging around expecting miracles. Yes, this is truly a wonderful country.....for those who have plenty of money. The rest of us are totally disposable. No insurance? Tough. Drop dead.