Every five days in Maine

By Chellie on April 30, 2008 5:37 PM

Nearly 20 years ago, my brother Bob was diagnosed with cancer at age 39. He had to fight two battles -- his illness and the insurance companies. He died 14 months later. This spring, my nephew, his son, will graduate from college. I find it unacceptable that the same health insurance situation that made the last months of my brother's life more difficult still exists today in our country, and I want to go to Congress to finally change this broken system.

Please take my poll and let me know how the health insurance crisis is affecting you.
http://action.chelliepingree.com/HealthcarePoll

Every five days, someone in Maine dies because he or she doesn't have health insurance.¹ Currently, there are 131,000 Mainers who are uninsured.²

We don't lack for good ideas about how to solve the healthcare problem. What we've lacked, until now, is the political will to stand up to special interest groups who have run Washington.

As the majority leader in the Maine Senate, I proposed a fundamental change in the way prescription drugs were priced in Maine. "You can't take on the drug companies," some of my colleagues told me. It turned out that they were wrong. It just took leadership and a willingness to stand up to the pharmaceutical companies who didn't want the system to change. It just took listening to the will of the people, who knew that what was going on was wrong.

Please take my poll and ask your friends to take it, too.
http://action.chelliepingree.com/HealthcarePoll

I want to go to Congress to fight for a better healthcare system that will cover all Americans. I've seen the corporate lobbyists with their shiny shoes and leather briefcases, and they don't scare me. I know that we can defeat them if we all stand together and fight for what's right.

When I go to Washington, I will bring the strength of character and resourcefulness of the people of Maine. With you by my side, I'll fight for the change all of us deserve.

¹ Note: These statistics refer to working-age people. http://familiesusa.org/issues/uninsured/publications/dying-for-coverage.html

² http://www.dirigohealth.com/dhsp01e.html