by Mike Hall
Reprinted from the AFL-CIO blog of January 28, 2008
MORE THAN 13,000 people around the country have participated in the AFL-CIO/Working America 2008 Health Care for America Survey, and more than 3,900 have submitted their own personal stories since the survey was launched.
The survey offers a unique opportunity for working families to make our voices heard on the cost of health insurance, quality of health care, access to prescription drugs, and the gamut of health care problems we all face — and impress upon candidates for the White House, Congress, and all public offices just how important health care is as a voting issue in 2008.
The survey results will be given to presidential, congressional, state, and local candidates to ensure candidates at every level understand what working families are experiencing.
Along with specific questions on affordability and quality, experiences with insurance companies, hospitals and doctors, and suggested remedies, the survey gives you the chance to tell your own story.
Here are some samples.
In Jacksonville, Fla., Pamela, a former flight attendant (AFA-CWA member), was the victim of two traffic accidents that have left her disabled and in need of spinal surgery. She says her experience has shown her today’s insurers are there to make a profit off your illness. They make promises and don’t deliver on coverage. “Poverty is my friend now. I have no money for the medical costs because of two horrible accidents that were no fault of my own. The insurance companies basically leave you on your own. All they care about is the money.”
From Los Angeles, Teri writes how the health care system, especially insurers, failed both her mother and first husband. Her mother’s insurer greatly reduced her coverage and dropped her because “she made too many claims.” By the time an attorney forced the insurance company to pay for cancer treatment, her mother had died. Meanwhile, Teri’s husband had a family history of heart disease, so their insurance provider forced him to sign a waiver forgoing heart-related claims.
“He started having fainting spells and dizziness. Being a nurse, I was worried that indeed he may have a cardio issue. They turned him away, stating he was too young to fit any cardio profiles. Six weeks later, he dropped dead of a massive coronary.” Bill in Washington teaches at a community college and prays he doesn’t get seriously ill until he is eligible for Medicare:
“I now find myself at age 58 without health insurance. Any plan that I might choose to purchase outright carries an impossible deductible and a premium that is 70-80 percent of my mortgage payment. So now I avoid preventative treatment and pray that I never get seriously ill. My only hope is the incoming Democratic presidency and congressional enactment of a universal health care bill, or hold on for eight years until I’m Medicare eligible. Or take my college degrees, certifications, and 25 years of professional experience to another country.”
Many union members have submitted comments similar to those of Andrew, a plumber and pipe fitter (UA) in Minnesota:
“I’m one of the fortunate ones who has good insurance through my union affiliation.”
In Wisconsin, electrical worker (IBEW) Charles echoes that sentiment: “I am currently going through cancer and have one more chemo to go. Thank God I joined a union some years back to be able to cover most of the costs associated with the illness. If I hadn’t, I’m sure it would be a matter of bankruptcy. While working nonunion, I had a bruised heel, and the medical costs almost sent me there.”
For more information on the online health care survey or to learn about other issues affecting U.S. workers, visit the AFL-CIO blog at http://blog.aflcio.org/.
