Patti TeeuwenTwo years ago I was working as a waitress as I had done for most of my adult life. I was 22 and one of the furthest things from my mind was my lack of heath insurance. Unfortunately, it was not far from my mind for long.

On the 9^th of January I went to bed, the next morning I woke up unable to move my legs. I arrived at the hospital and had to make the scariest statement of my life, “I can’t feel my legs.” I was only 22 and I had no health insurance, an impending debt, and was out of a job.

That morning I was hospitalized and was placed in the Intensive Care Unit. I went through test after test. Cat scans and MRI’s constantly. Instead of being able to concentrate on what was wrong with me I was worried about how much all the tests were going to cost me. I was supposed to be moved to rehab when I developed a blood clot in my hand. My stay was extended for two more weeks. In my mind that was just thousands of more dollars of debt. I was diagnosed with neuropathy and told there is nothing that can be done to cure it except time.

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Kathy SampsonI’ve been a self-employed child care provider for 15 years. I hold a degree in elementary education but because my Crohn’s disease causes chronic diarrhea, I am unable to work alone in a classroom. My 19 year old daughter attends college and works part-time. Neither of us have health insurance.

We’re stuck in the middle because we make too much money to qualify for most assistance programs and too little to afford private health care insurance, especially because my Crohn’s disease is a pre-existing condition which makes my premiums even higher. A plan with minimal coverage would have had a $2,000 deductible for a hospital visit and $3,500 a year in premiums. That plan paid $20.00 towards a doctor's office visit, and only $5.00 for each prescription. Most of the plans I have looked at won't cover anything associated with my Crohn's disease for the first five years. So, I decided that it would be better for me just to pay for our costs out of pocket. But that’s not an easy decision.

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Taneisha WhiteI’m a single mom with 4 kids and work full-time for an employer who provides health care benefits to me and my family. Due to the high co-pays, though, I spend over $250 a month on prescription drugs for my daughter. My daughter, John-Yell, has asthma and a heart condition that require prescription medication to keep her alive. The high cost of prescriptions takes a large chunk out of our family’s budget.

I’m chair of Oregon Action’s health care committee, which is an ally of Oregonians for Health Security. Our committee is working to enact reforms that would help my family and others like my throughout the state. I recently got the opportunity to share my experience with the health care system at a health care forum in Portland.

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