Reply #90: In the last month,

[DollyM]

I have went to two spaghetti dinners and one pancake breakfast, all to raise money for people who are unisured or underinsured. A baby born almost two months premature (his Dad is a firefighter) who is underinsured and will be in Children's hospital at least three months, a set of twins born premature (their Dad is a police officer), now home from Children's hospital but facing weekly trips (70 miles) to children's hospital for continuing treatment and the bills keep coming. Another, a lady with colon cancer, head of our local Chamber of Commerce, who has no insurance. The benefit for the baby still in the hospital raised only $1000.00. How far will that go on a medical bill for a three month hospital stay. We live in a county of less than 25 thousand people, there is just only so much charity money to go around as anyone of us could be the next, "unable to pay our medical bills" victim. My family is uninsured, my husband's employer doesn't provide it and he is considered "uninsurable" because he has diabetes. VA has helped some but has put us through hell, begging for medical care because we simply can't afford what it would cost for him to get the care that he needs. I tore a ligament in my knee three months ago and am barely able to walk but I know an MRI is, at minimum, $1600 dollars which I simply don't have the money to pay. So, I don't get medical care.
The light on the horizon is though, we found out we may qualify for "Family Care" which is health insurance through the state (Illinois) until our son turns 18. He is 16 now. For $40.00 a month, our whole family can be covered with real insurance that allows us to use local Doctors of our choice. (Still waiting to hear back from the state on that but I am hopeful.) I don't expect a handout for medical care coverage, I just want something affordable for coverage, something that doesn't make me choose between buying groceries and paying for insurance. Since our teenage son eats like there is no tomorrow, he wouldn't appreciate it if we bought insurance instead of groceries.
I really don't care if it political posturing or rhetoric or who does what, just give all Americans the opportunity to be covered for medical care at a reasonable cost. Don't make us choose between getting health care and covering lives other essentials like groceries. (Although I have learned that top Ramen noodles go along way to filling a teenage boys stomach, I would still like to be able to afford some meat and vegetables for him along the way!)