I became an LPN in 1983 and an RN in 1993. In 2003, at the age of 55, I became disabled by a genetic disease and lost my job. I was always someone who ate well and exercised, and did not smoke. I was stricken by a genetic disease that generally affects people who are between 45 and 55 years old.

When I lost my job I also lost my health insurance. As a result, I no longer had health insurance for myself or for my then 17-year-old son. It took about two years for me to receive a Social Security disability retirement, but that does not provide enough income for me to afford to pay for health insurance. In 2006, I became eligible for Medicare. Unfortunately, the income that I receive from my disability retirement is slightly in excess of the limit for qualifying for Medicaid, so I'm not eligible to receive those benefits.

My problems have been compounded now that I have developed breast cancer. My ongoing expenses for medications and related medical costs leave no disposable income for me to purchase health insurance for my son and me. As a result, we live with the fear that he will be injured or get sick, and then we would not be able to afford the costs of related treatments and medications, etc. He is now 21 and going into his last year of college. We're both hoping that he will remain healthy and find a job that provides him with health insurance upon graduating from college a year from now.

I am able to get by because of my knowledge of the health care system and the assistance of friends that I made while working in the hospital for many years. I can really sympathize with those with health problems that have little or no similar health care knowledge and experience. I remember talking to a doctor who was forced to prepare the discharge paperwork for a patient whose insurance coverage would not pay for the tests that the doctor wanted to have performed. So now you know why I'm in favor of universal healthcare, and I hope that you will join me in supporting the necessary changes to America's healthcare system.

Freda Blakerby, RN
St.Louis MO

Under Barack Obama's plan, coverage for Americans like Freda's son would be expanded. Employers would be required to offer health insurance or pay into a fund to pay provide care to workers. Freda's son could get access to a national health plan similar to the one that covers Congress. Or, he could choose from a pool of private plans that would be required to meet the same standards as Congress' plan and to cover people with "preexisting conditions." Premiums for individuals and families would be discounted on a sliding scale to make sure coverage is affordable.

[Source: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/]

Under John McCain's plan, health benefits offered by employers would be taxed. As a result, many employers would stop offering coverage to workers. Instead, workers would be given a $2,500 per person or $5,000 per family tax credit to help pay for buying insurance in the marketplace. McCain also supports reducing regulation of health insurance companies, which make consumers more vulnerable to fraud and make it more difficult to determine what is covered under each plan.

[Source: John McCain's Health Plan: Making a Bad Problem Worse, SEIU]

Vital Signs: Reality Check on Health Care lets ordinary Americans talk about the challenges they face getting health care and spells out how they would be affected by Barack Obama and John McCain's health care proposals.