KVO and 771 Working Together on Health Care Forum

I thought I'd post this again, where we're getting close to the end of health care story gathering and response has been very little. Do you worry that you won’t be able to get good health care when you or your family needs it? Are you concerned that one illness or health problem could send you into financial ruin? Believe me, you’re not alone. Our union has been involved in efforts to get better health care benefits for direct care workers such as ourselves. And we aren’t alone. MSEA-SEIU 1989 is a member of the Kennebec Valley Organization (KVO), an organization of congregations, labor unions, and other central Maine groups working together to improve the quality of life in our communities. KVO joined with a statewide coalition to propose and fight for the “Health Care for Health Care Workers Bill” (LD 1687), which would have increased our access to health care benefits. Unfortunately, legislators didn’t see that as a top priority right now and it was defeated. We’re not giving up. Through April and May, we will hold small group meetings within all KVO member organizations, from Hallowell to Madison, to gather personal stories of health care, good and bad, and to clarify our values about who deserves access to quality health care. I thought a letter to members would be a great way to let you know about this campaign, and to ask you to help make it a success just by sharing your own story. KVO is gathering these stories to understand the real situation with health care in our state and country, and to build the power to improve it. I have included my own health care story as an example at the end of this post. What I am asking of 771 members is to share their health care stories -- of being with or without health care insurance, how having it or not has affected you, your family and your work, or anything else that comes to mind. You can send an email to helen.hnsn@gmail.com. After collecting these stories, KVO will hold a Health Care Forum in June to educate members on the current health care system and some of the common proposals for reform. In the Fall, we will hold an event where candidates for state and national offices are asked to hear these stories and to explain what they will do to improve health care for everyone. I will keep you all posted as the campaign continues, but in the meantime I hope that you will take just a few moments today to add your voice to this important effort. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Helen Hanson President, MSEA-SEIU Local 1989, Local 771 My Health Care Story My health care story is one of ups and downs. I had health insurance through my husband when he worked at Blue Seal Feeds. He left that job and started his own business. With that change, we now buy our own health insurance. Quite frankly, it is horrible. It is very expensive, $300 per month, with a high deductible of $10,000 per year per family member and only covers catastrophic care. Since November of 2007, I’ve been through multiple screenings for ovarian cancer. I am very grateful to say that I am cancer free! The down side, these screenings are not covered through my health insurance. They do not cover any diagnostic services. The bill is upwards of $3000.00. Now I am working with the providers on payment plans. I’ll be paying this off for a long time. I can’t afford to get sick.