Tell The Truth About Health Care Reform

Tell the truth about health care reform

We don't have the best health care system in the world. According to The Institute of Medicine, a non-profit organization of experts advising Congress on health issues, 18,000 people die annually because they're uninsured or can't get proper health care.

I'm a self-employed 59-year-old woman who pays $562 a month for a plan with a $5,000 deductible. That means I'm paying $11,744 annually to the insurance company before I see any benefits. I applied to another carrier to get into a health savings plan at half the premium cost and was told by the agent I wouldn't be accepted because I have had "pre-existing conditions." I'm 100 percent healthy now. It doesn't matter. The insurance industry is holding us hostage. They decide what medication we can take and what procedures we can have.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about health care reform. Many can be traced to the powerful misinformation campaigns of the very industry with the most to lose -- the private insurance companies. There will be no death panels. No one is going to pull the plug on Granny. Educate yourself. Find out the facts: www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck.

Nancy Stern

Solana Beach