Health Care Voices: Why Americans Want Change Now

Web pages set up by CWA and the AFL-CIO have drawn responses from hundreds of union members and other working people who are posting their health care stories. They range from outright nightmares to fears about what could happen, to calls for reform from people who know they've been lucky to have insurance.

A sampling of comments follows. To read more, or to post your own comments, go to CWA's site at www.healthcarevoices.org and the AFL-CIO's site at  www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare.

I had two problems in the past where the ambulance had to pick me up. I now owe over $2,000. I don't know how I am going to pay it off.  At my job, insurance is too much money for me.

— Rachel, Ohio

I was in a near fatal accident a year and a half ago. I fell 40 feet. I had no health insurance and no money to pay for bills and was not able to work for months. This has crippled me in terms of finances. I shudder to think what is going to happen to people if there is no change to our system.

— Michele, New York

I am a single mom and worked hard as a waitress to support myself and my daughter — no insurance, no sick days or security outside of how many tips I could put in my apron. Then I worked even harder to put myself through college so I could get the union job I have today. Prior to this job, I tried to get blood work and tests done at public health fairs and prayed there would be nothing wrong. The day my insurance went into effect, my daughter and I went out to dinner and celebrated.

— Cheryl, New Jersey (CWA)

I am fortunate that my health care package is mostly paid through my employer however with each negotiation, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain. I worry that when I retire I will have the same problems my mother had: too many doctors, locations, expensive medications… I'm afraid I will not be able to afford the good care I now receive. Universal health care is where I will place my support if it's monitored and controlled properly.

— Sharon, California (International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers)

As teachers, you would think we would have great insurance. Unfortunately, it costs an employee $800 to cover him and his family a month. Who can afford that? I know I can't. That's almost half of my monthly income!

— Sonya, Texas

My husband recently was taken to the emergency room with severe dehydration. A good Samaritan found him by the side of the road (during) a long bike ride… Four hours in the hospital, two bags of IV fluid and some medical advice totaled $3,300. He's been able to arrange a payment plan, fortunately, but God help us if anything serious happens to him, like a heart attack or a stroke (he's in his late fifties). He recently stopped taking one of his medications because at $110 a month, he felt we could no longer afford it.

The U.S. is the only "first world" country that does not make health care available to all its citizens. That needs to change.

— Susanna, Florida

My wife's sister died this past year because, as someone living in poverty, she lived with health problems rather than see a doctor. When she finally did go to a doctor it was too late; she had suffered a heart attack and died within a month.

— Charles, Texas (CWA)

I am marrying my girlfriend at a much earlier time than we had planned because she is going back to school and is unable to get coverage through her part-time job. The wedding was going to happen, but we shouldn't be forced to put a rush on it out of fear she wouldn't be able to afford her prescriptions or that we would lose our house over medical bills if God forbid something happened to her.

— Steven, Nebraska (National Association of Letter Carriers)