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HEALTH STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD Hc_stories_title
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Intro_topper2These stories — told by hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans who have watched their premiums rise faster than wages, and spiraling costs shackle American businesses — put a personal touch on the health care crisis. On this site, you can:EXPLORE — Find stories near you, to see how those in your area are affected. Read stories from across the country, and see the common thread in a crisis that affects us all.
AMPLIFY — When you come across a particularly moving story — one that inspires you to act, or reminds us all of the human cost of the status quo — click the megaphone icon near it. You'll "amplify" the story, and increase the chances that other folks like you will come across it.
SHARE — If you have not already done so, please tell your own story about how our nation's health care crisis has affected you or a loved one. Your voice has extraordinary power -- please use it.
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Paul
Aspen Park, CO
Smiling_profile_b_w_small I am a physician. I've practiced over 20 years in many states, in rural and urban settings, in the most advanced medical centers and in the most basic country clinics. I've worked in private and corporate practices, in multi-specialty clinics and teaching centers, in government programs, and in urgent and emergency care settings. Never, never have I seen such widespread misery and deteriorating clinical quality, all due to people's inability to pay and poorly organized care. I have patients without insurance coming in daily, having lost... (more)
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Megan
Bonny Doon, CA
M1_small Dear President Obama, I am thirty one years old and am in several thousand dollars debt because I was unable to get insurance for several years because of a "pre existing condition". In m early twenties I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. I was fortunate enough to have caught it early and had a minor surgery to have it removed. I did not have insurance at the time because my full time job did not offer it. I tried to get private insurance but because I have had a history of skin cancer, the only type of insurance I could... (more)
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Kelly
Havertown, PA
Pa_60 I am a pediatrician caring for many children whose families struggle with the current health care system. Yesterday I saw a child whose mom said he wasn't sick, she just wanted to get him checked because her insurance will run out at the end of the month. She is a single parent working hard for an hourly wage, and her job does not provide health benefits. All of her friends are telling her to quit work so she can go on welfare and get free medicaid. This mother takes pride in her work and her ability to provide for her family. She does not... (more)
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William
Cabot, AR
Ar_60 My daughter who at 20 years old and just started her third year of college was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She had to drop out of college for the time as she needed to go through surgery. As soon as she left school she was told that she could no longer be on my insurance policy and her coverage was dropped. This is just when she needed the coverage. She passed away within three years but it was horrible and nobody cared. My view of life and society has forever been changed.
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Lane
Danville, IL
Lanebaldwin2a_small I am 53 years old, and recently remarried (Dec '08). When I had to take a 5% pay cut just after the marriage, I thought I was lucky because I still had a job, and health care that cost me more than $350 a month out of my paycheck. Then, on March 1, I was converted to an independent contractor at less than half pay, and with NO benefits. Just a few weeks ago, I suffered a seizure. And I have no health care. VA offers no assistance because they go by LAST year's income, which means I have to remain poor for another year before they will help.... (more)
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Valerie
Tarpon Spgs, FL
Fl_60 Dear President Obama: Last November I became ill. I have no health insurance and no money. My husband and I lost our jobs and the company my husband was working for fought against him getting unemployment and they won. We are about to lose our home and be on the street. After suffering intense pain and not being able to walk for almost 3 months, I went to the Emergency Room at Helen Ellis Hospital in Tarpon Springs on Feb. 19, 2009. I was lucky there were no other patients there. A doctor came in to talk to me, I explain I was in... (more)
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Jonni
Anchorage, KY
Ky_60 I survived cancer last year. I have been in remission for one year. My employer laid me off when I was diagnosed and I was off work for a year while I had chemo. I used my 401k and my credit cards to survive during that year while I fought for my life. I thought I would be able to refinance my house to cover the $7500 max out of pocket for my treatment. However, I find myself with over $30,000 in outstanding medical bills at this point and I still need expensive tests every 6 months to make sure the cancer is still gone and have to have... (more)
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Kathy
San Francisco, CA
Ca_60 Dear Mr. President. Thank you for asking. In the wealthiest nation on earth, each one of us should have access to high quality medical care, and I mean care, not insurance coverage. Right now, I believe I pay an insurance premium so that insurance companies can employ marketing consultants, publicists and lobbyists. Ask around the halls of congress. How much money do health "industry" lobbyists and consultants make? Where does the money come from? It's sickening. I've always worked in a small non-profit organization or a small... (more)
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Heidi
Brooklyn, NY
H_website_photo_small On July 18, 2008, at the age of 29, I was diagnosed with a very rare and potentially aggressive type of cervical cancer: adenocarcinoma with high-grade neuroendocrine features. With no previous medical or familial history of cancer, I was shocked, but grateful that it seemed to have been caught early, and that I had health insurance, particularly in a rapidly destabilizing job economy. I couldn't have known at that time that being unemployed and uninsured would have been a potentially preferable situation than the one I am currently in. Due to... (more)
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Brenda
Richmond, VA
005_small Our family is desperate for this bill to pass. My brother is 58 years old with many health issues including high cholesterol, heart disease, sleep apnea, and bi-polar disorder. He does not qualify for disability, has been unemployed for over a year, has not been able to find a job that includes health benefits, and he cannot find an insurance company that will insure him. His doctor's bills and prescription costs are through the roof and he cannot sustain this due to his limited savings. Please help us!
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Carol
Crystola, CO
Co_60 My 93-year-old mother has Alzheimer's Disease. Because her care is not covered by Medicare, we have had to use her life savings to care for her for the past 3 years. Mom worked hard as a teacher in her life after my dad died in 1964 and saved a couple of hundred thousand over the years. It's all but gone because of the cost of her care. She would be sick about it if she realized. Now my brother has to put her in a nursing home rather than letting her die in her own home because we are dipping too deeply into our own retirement income now... (more)
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Thomas
Carrollton, TX
Img_0301_small I have lived in France for 13 years. I was born in the U.S. in 1961. French medical care is outstanding. A visit to a general practitioner costs 21 euros (25 dollars) but is re-imbursed all except for one euro (a dollar 20). Everyone has it. Even homeless people and poor people and unemployed people. It doesn't matter what company you work for. You can purchase extra care if you want it (for glasses, or dental work, or just so that every penny is reimbursed.) I am horrified by health care in the U.S. I went to a doctor, when on a visit... (more)
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Sheila
Jennings Lodge, OR
Or_60 I am a 56 year old woman, small business owner, and pay $608 per month for health insurance. I am grateful that I have insurance. My friend found a lump in her breast and has been referred for a biopsy. She has a high deductible policy (so she can afford the premiums), and has just discovered that a breast biopsy may cost at much as $9000, for which she will be on the hook for at least half of that. She is actually questioning whether or not she should have the biopsy, since she doesn't know now she can pay the bills with her income. She... (more)
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susan
Chicago, IL
Il_60 I was in fifth grade when my older sister had her first mental breakdown. From that time on the life of my family changed forever. She jumped out a winder, took and overdose of pills, got married and divorced, has been in and out of mental hospitals, cannot hold a job. When she becomes ill she hears voices, goes into rages, spends enormous amounts of money. The real shame and tragedy of it is that she cannot get insurance. There are medications that could help but are completely unaffordable. My sister lives on SAMPLES from a city clinic in... (more)
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Samwise
Bellevue, WA
Wa_60 Back in 1993, I was working as a dish washer at Coco's in Olympia, Washington, a coffee shop chain, working for minimum wage. I had no health care coverage, was 27, and thought I was healthy and didn't need it. Was I dead wrong. While working there, I had very severe symptoms that prevented me from barely working. I ended up doing the normal routine of going to the emergency room at the last minute to get treated. I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. Well, that is a death sentance for someone with no health care coverage. On... (more)
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Sierra
Shoshone, CA
Ca_60 While in my sophomore year of college I went to the emergency room in the middle of the night for seizure. It was discovered that I had a large brain tumor roughly the size of a small grapefruit. As a result, I underwent 3 very expensive brain surgeries. I live in California and am extremely frustrated with the Emergency room situation here. Uninsured people in lines going out the door go to ER for not real emergencies because they have no insurance and nowhere else to go. I, as an insured person with a true emergency, had to wait in line with... (more)
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Kathleen
Washougal, WA
Wa_60 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in Feb 1988 and have had health insurance for many years still paying 200.00 on top of what my employers werer paying. I changed jobs and now I cant get coverage because of my MS pre existing condition and the coverage costs. Please reform health care
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Angela
Carbondale, PA
Sdc10728_small I am not sure what exactly to write or how to even begin explaining my story. I like a lot of other American households fall into a range where I make too much for Medicaid or Chips. I am a single mother of 3 amazing young men. We did have insurance while their father was serving in the Military but even that system is flawed as we had to travel 3 hours to another state to get a simple check up for a cold or to coordinate with the primary care provider for all referrals. My oldest son Malachai has what is diagnosed as a Vein of Galen... (more)
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Adrienne
Aurora, CO
N1050332346_30228303_9772_small My story is about my brother. My brother was diagnosed with Epilepsy when he was an infant. As a child his Epilepsy was well controlled with medication. As he got older his seizures were no longer controlled by medication and became more and more frequent. Since his seizures were so frequent he was unable to drive and took public transportation. A couple times a year he would have a seizure on the bus or in public and would be taken to the emergency room. While in the emergency room he was often hand-cuffed to the bed, sedated or... (more)
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Diane
Chicago, IL
Il_60 Our oldest son was diagnosed at 4 1/2 as a high-functioning autistic. We were told that if we provided appropriate, medically necessary therapies--speech and occupational therapy, to develop David's motor skills, ability to handle complex speech and ability to correctly read basic social cues--his autism would no longer impede his chances of having a rewarding, fulfilling and generally "normal" life as a teenager and an adult. David is very bright, with a lot of talents, and we had always dreamed of being able to send him to college.... (more)
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