Healthcare Reform Needs You

Congress has begun the arduous task of battling for healthcare reform. I, like a whole lot of other Americans, have found myself among the uninsured. I became uninsured, for the first time in my adult life, a year and a half ago when I changed employers and cut my hours to part-time. I had been insured through my employer with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, so I assumed it would be a simple matter to convert to a private policy. It was not so simple. In fact, it was not possible.

I was denied private insurance because of a pre-existing condition. That's right ... I, like millions of other middle-aged Americans, have high blood pressure. It's even higher these days, since I no longer take medication or have bi-monthly check-ups for it now that every jot and tittle of my healthcare needs -- along with the inflated price of everything else -- has to come out of my middle-class recession-impacted pocket.

I'm not willing to trust that those in Washington know my opinion about healthcare reform, so I've taken the opportunity to tell them myself. You should, too.

It's easy. Just go to Contacting the Congress and click on your state. Write to your own Congresspersons or Representatives.

Whether the private insurance sector is working for you or not, it isn't working for millions of your neighbors, co-workers, friends and family members. Healthcare reform without a public insurance option will not help those who need it. If you don't need it, that's wonderful and I'm happy for you, and you can keep your insurance under a real reform plan. Please don't sit on your insured hands when so many of the rest of us are not as fortunate.