In recent discussions about a potential charitable organization my friends and I have started to help raise money to pay for another friend’s medical bills – she has ovarian cancer and no insurance – we discovered that 4 out of 5 in our discussion had no coverage and were all approaching midlife – one of the most vulnerable times health-wise for women.
Being the passionate advocate that I am, I immediately went right to the top – The White House. I sent an email and within a week, President Obama sent a nice form email back but it did contain some information sources for the medical rules just instituted or soon to be enacted.
I want to share these with you all, in case, you are not covered and any of this helps. Please let me know how you find these links, helpful? Waste of time?
I do not want to let this issue rest. Thanks to my not having medical coverage, due to its exorbitant cost of $1200 to 1500 a month because I am an individual and not a group. (I considered putting on a lot of weight to see if I qualified as a group but no dice. Okay, we gotta go with the humor once in a while.) I let my own screenings go and found I had breast cancer but am now disease free.
I want to save as many others, men and women, from the situation I find myself in. I not-so-secretly dream of testifying before Congress and giving them a piece of my mind, in a respectful and gracious way, but a big piece none the less.
Here is the email I received and the enclosed links.
June 17, 2011 Dear Patricia: Thank you for writing. I have been moved and inspired by the stories of Americans struggling with health care, and I appreciate your perspective. It is because of the many men and women facing frustration, hardship, and financial burden in addition to significant health problems that we worked so hard to get health reform done. After a century of striving, after a year of debate, and after a historic vote, health care reform is no longer an unmet promise to the American people. It is the law of the land. While some reforms will be put in place later, a host of desperately needed reforms have already gone into effect. To learn more about what health reform means for you, visit www.HealthCare.gov or www.WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform. As we work together to improve the lives of all our citizens, please know the trials and triumphs of Americans like you motivate my Administration to work even harder to overcome the challenges before us. I am confident we will emerge from these tough times stronger than before with a renewed promise of a better future for all. For more information on resources that may be available to you, please visit http://go.usa.gov/aIv or http://go.usa.gov/aI7 or call 1-(800)-FED-INFO. Those seeking assistance with health care can also call the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-(877)-696-6775. Again, thank you for contacting me. I wish you all the best. Sincerely, Barack Obama
You can also find group insurance at fair rates from the Freelancers Union. I have not checked their qualifications for health coverage since the new laws have become affective but Union admission is free and open to anyone who freelances and certain professions and minimum earnings requirements used to apply to insurance coverage. So click the links above for information on the Freelancers Union’s many benefits, health, dental, life, disability as well as networking, etc.
I really hope this helps and I plan to keep after Mr AND Mrs Obama in a nice albeit persistent way. And be sure to send me your feedback and feelings on this issue. We have to advocate for ourselves because no one else will.
I promise more timely posts and bless you for your loyalty and patience.