TELL YOUR STORY |
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Debra Jones
This is not a dramatic story, this is everybody’s story. I have had insurance for years. Recently I have been having tough times financially so I upped my deductible to $5000 so my monthly premiums would go down. (a “you can’t go back again” step) My “lower” monthly premiums are $400 a month. Right now that’s a huge bite in my monthly expenses. But the real irony is because I pay for medical insurance, I can’t afford to go to the doctor. Fortunately, I have been very healthy most of my life. But things come up, and certain recommended screenings ( like a colonoscopy)and preventive exams, or a visit to a dermatologist check out a suspicious mole, are out of my budget. When I think about the medical care I am not getting because I am spending the $400 a month on my medical insurance policy—it hurts! |
 There is Widespread Support for Reform
 81% of voters agree with the statement "it should be public policy that government guarantee that all Californians have access to affordable health care insurance or other health care coverage."
Source: Field Poll, "California Voter Views of the Health Care System (Part 1 of 2)," January 3, 2007.
  Emergency rooms are by far the most expensive means of routine care. The cost of medical care for treating a patient with strep throat is $91at a doctor's office and $72 at a retail clinic, but $328 in an emergency room, according to a study by Health Partners conducted in 2005.
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