BACK TO SCHOOL - BACK TO WORK – BACK TO HEALTH CARE!

Georgette Kanach of Gray told the gathering in South Portland that she sometimes goes without food or doesn’t pay her electric bills so she can buy medication to treat her breast cancer. Even with health insurance, her co-payments eat up most of her limited fixed income, she said.
- Bangor Daily News, September 4, 2009

One in five women aged 50 and above has not received a mammogram in the past two years.
- HHS report, September 3, 2009

Congress returns to work on September 8th, and health care is first on the agenda. This past week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius held a health care reform hearing in South Portland, Maine. Among the speakers: Georgette Kanach, above, and a small business owner:

Panelist Joe McSwain of Edgecomb, who owns Mid Maine Restoration Inc. with his wife, Linda, said health insurance costs for his employees have risen 15 percent to 25 percent every year in the last 10 years.

“At present we are all the way down to a catastrophic plan with astronomical deductibles and no drug coverage at all.” he said. “This plan is useless to our employees. We need a public option and we need it now.”

President Obama will address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, September 9th to urge action on health care reform. What about you?

Have you talked to your Senators and Member of Congress about your experience, and why we need health care reform? Now is the time!!