Letter: Health care reform critical for country

In 1988, my sister Leslie was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and with uterine cancer in 1992. She had a complete hysterectomy followed by 51⁄2 weeks of radiation. Her cancer was cured, but the radiation damaged her right leg’s lymph system and blocked the excess fluid from draining. Her leg is permanently swollen, incurable, and venerable to infections. She also has osteoporosis (porous bones), which causes her bones to become weak and brittle and to easily break.

Like millions of Americans, Leslie lives with a number of debilitating conditions that require several different medications and on-going doctor appointments. If she were to pay out of pocket, her medications alone would be over $3,000 a month. Fortunately, she is healthy enough to lead a fairly normal life and to have health insurance through her work. But if she lost her job, she would have to find a new one with insurance coverage. If so, would the insurance cover her preexisting conditions? Would her new employer allow her time off for appointments? Would anyone even hire her? I don’t think so.

At age 62, Leslie is looking forward to retirement. She will work as long as she can to keep her current insurance coverage. Her biggest fear is that she will lose her job, or her husband or she will have a catastrophic illness, lose everything, and end up bankrupt. Therefore, I believe a public healthcare system is necessary not just for her but also for millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans

Karen Bryant
Yuba City