Stop Two: The Roundtable in Detroit
Posted by Campaign Team on August 20, 2008
We recently got back from Detroit, the second stop of our listening tour. We heard a lot of stories (be sure to watch the video from the event) and had a productive meeting with local community leaders and elected representatives to hear their priorities for health care reform.
Some of the personal stories we heard:
- A woman whose husband is on Social Security Disability Insurance and afraid that if she earns too much he will lose his coverage;
- An insured small business owner who can’t provide coverage for her employees;
- A woman who has gone back to school in her mid-forties so that she can pursue a job with health coverage;
- A young uninsured mother whose baby was turned away from the hospital when she tried to get services for her son; and
- A mother who pays $9,000 out-of-pocket for coverage and can't afford the co-pays for tests and procedures.
The roundtable participants talked about their struggles with the current health care system and the impact it has on their daily lives. All of these individuals would be helped by the proposals we have made.& On the other hand, until action happens at the federal level, several of these individuals are eligible for state help and we are assisting with that.
Also in Detroit, we met with local community leaders and elected representatives who have made health care reform a priority. This discussion covered a lot of topics, but focused on: prioritizing health care reform at the federal level; providing a helping hand to small businesses; improving the safety net so people don't fall through the cracks; reducing health care disparities; and a discussion on the impact that a slowing economy is having on worker's health care coverage.
We also shared the ideas and proposals our community has put forth to cover the uninsured, improve quality, reduce health care costs, and guarantee access to coverage in the individual market. We are soliciting feedback on these proposals from people across the country to ensure we are addressing their concerns and meeting the health care needs of all Americans. The things we hear on the road will inform our industry's priorities and our proposals moving forward.
We appreciated the opportunity to listen and to learn, and look forward to our next stop on the tour.
