"After being an emergency room nurse for 17 years, I became too ill to work," said Jan Stephens, an RN from Anaheim, Calif. "It all started out manageable enough. In 1992, I enrolled in a Blue Cross policy with a monthly premium of $282, a $500 annual deductible, and a $250 prescription drug deductible.
"Then in 1995, I was diagnosed with an incurable bladder disease called interstitial cystitis and several other coexisting illnesses. I was disabled due to the excruciating pain and, like so many other people who become sick and can't work, I had to live on a fixed income. Problem was, my insurance costs kept going up. Now, my monthly insurance premiums are $639, with an annual deductible of $1,500, and I pay up to $500 per month out of pocket for prescription drugs.
"As just one example, the copayment for Elmiron, the only medicine specifically for treating interstitial cystitis, zoomed from $25 a month in 1999 for 200 capsules to $250 a month now for 180 capsules. Blue Cross will not cover the syringes, needles, urinary catheter, Lidocaine, or sodium bicarbonate that I needs to administer the cocktail of medicines I use.
"I truly do not know how much longer I will be able to keep my home that I've lived in for the last 30 years. In saying all that I've said, I do realize that there are many people who are much worse off. While I am not terminally ill, my quality of life suffers immensely due to my illnesses and the financial strain that has resulted."
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Sponsored by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee
Eighty-two percent of Americans think the U.S. healthcare system should be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt (Commonwealth Fund, Aug. 7, 2008). America's nurses know that only single-payer, improved and expanded Medicare for all will fix our broken system and the tragedy of our devastated families. HR 676, by U.S. Rep John Conyers, is the most comprehensive, cost effective way to achieve guaranteed healthcare for all.
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