Your story could help break the healthcare logjam

By Barb on October 21, 2007 9:59 PM

How disappointing that Congress wasn't able to override Bush's veto of the SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) bill. Now, millions of children will go without health insurance -- because on Thursday the House of Representatives couldn't muster enough bi-partisan support to squash Bush's cynical veto.

Healthcare isn't a partisan issue or a "special interest" issue. It's a human rights issue, and we've all waited far too long for a lasting healthcare solution. We need leaders like Chellie in Congress, creating coalitions that blast through partisan and special interest roadblocks -- just as she did in passing Maine Rx.

We know that many Mainers like you have a personal story to share about our broken healthcare system. We're collecting these stories to help Chellie make the case for strong measures and solutions. Can you tell us your story? Go to http://action.chelliepingree.com/page/s/stories to send your story to us.

Besides her basic sense of fairness, what gives Chellie the passion to pursue the difficult issue of healthcare? When I asked her, here's the story she told:

I had three older siblings, Roz, Ralph, and Bob. We lost Bob, who was closest to my age, shortly after his 40th birthday. Like many of the unbearable tragedies that mark all of our lives, the eighteen months between Bob's discovery as a new father that he had melanoma with a terrible prognosis until his death with many of us at his side in a hospital bed in Los Angeles were sad and life-changing for all of us. It was an eye-opening view of the complete failure of our healthcare system when his insurance company attempted to cancel his policy as soon as he revealed his illness.

Losing my brother changed my life. Like millions of other Americans, he had to fight the health care system while he fought for his life, a tragedy that no ill person or their family should have to endure. Yet here we are, years later and the situation is even worse.

Too many of us have been through or seen others go through similar heartbreaking situations. Often, it is our stories that bring reality to the debate. Do you have a healthcare story to share? Chellie and I will be reviewing the stories that you send to us, and we'll post some of them on our blog and in our special healthcare section on the website in the coming weeks. It's our way of continuing to shine light on the
healthcare crisis. We hope you'll share your story. http://action.chelliepingree.com/page/s/stories

Chellie used her story, as well as those of many people from across Maine, in the fight for fair prescription drug prices. Chellie's experience with her brother, and the horrible experiences that so many Mainers shared, fostered a sense of outrage and determination that allowed Chellie to build a formidable coalition to fight Big PHARMA all the way to the Supreme Court, where Maine Rx was victorious. It was an extraordinary effort -- and the sort of effort we need to break the healthcare logjam. Chellie would like the opportunity to stand up for health care for all in Congress, but it will take all of us and all our stories.

We're looking forward to hearing from you.