Syinly's Weblog.Net

Dear Ly Syin,

Your budget is tight. You’re forced to choose between paying for food, housing, or health insurance — and unfortunately, health insurance doesn’t make the cut.

Your husband loses his job — and with it, your family’s health insurance. A week later, your son wakes up with a temperature of 102.

These stories are health care nightmares. And for far too many women, they’re all too familiar.

What’s your health care story?

It’s time to pass health care reform that works for women and families. But we need to make sure Congress knows why it’s so important.

On Oct. 19, we’re staging a 24-hour vigil to make sure the word gets out on why health care reform is so important for women. For 24 hours, we’ll read stories from women who’ve suffered at the hands of our nation’s broken health care system.

Please share your story with us today. It may be one of those read at the vigil.

And if you’re in the Washington, D.C. area, fill out this form and we’ll let you know how you can attend the vigil.

We can win this fight. But we can’t do it silently. Please speak out, and help us win health care reform that works for all of us.

Sincerely, Nicole Oxendine Director of Outreach National Women’s Law Center

P.S. We need all the health care stories we can get! Please help us spread the word by forwarding this e-mail widely to your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors and asking them to share their stories too.

I received an email from the National Women Law Center asking about my healthcare horror story.

At first I thought I don’t have one, but I have been without health insurance since 2006.  Then I remembered in 2007 I had developed a kidney stone and had to leave work. At first I just thought I would go home and lie down then I realized I was much sicker than that and needed to go the Emergency Room. I  didn’t have any insurance despite the fact I was working two jobs.

The emergency room staff treated me well and of course the doctors figured out what was wrong because I had no idea. They sent me home and gave information about a follow up visit. That’s   I started to have a problem. I could not find anybody in St. Charles County that would see me with out insurance on a sliding scale fee.

I made  an appointment at Barnes Jewish clinic.  The clinic is over 49 miles from my house.   I was late to the appointment and not seen. I was not able to reschedule for months. I decided to go the clinic on Dr. Martin Luther King and Belt. I was there a long time but I was seen by a doctor and given medication. The clinic allowed me to pay according to my income.

After a while I received the bill for my ER visit and I was unable to pay it. A few months later I lost one of my two jobs and continued a down financial spiral. Now my medical bill has gone to collections and is affecting my credit history.

I was fortunate an thankful I was able to receive treatment. The negative impact to my credit will hurt my family when it comes to trying to secure  housing.

I wish I could tell you  that is only time I have had to have  medical attention since I have been un-insured but it is not. I had to have minor outpatient surgery and pay cash. If it had not been tax season and my boyfriend at the time giving me a couple hundred dollars I would not have been able to have the procedure.

Due to my financial situation I still have not  followed up like I was suppose because I could not afford follow up visits.