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Save Health Care in Washington Activists Share Personal Stories and Concerns with their legislators and the GovernorOne of the most effective tools in our grassroots program is how it allows people to share personal stories and concerns with their elected officials. Read what other activists are telling their legislators and the Governor in the following categories: The uninsured and the need for health insurance “I think that healthcare should be available for all . . . regardless of income. I work in the medical field and it is very disturbing to see how many patients both children and adults don’t have any medical or dental coverage.” — Activist from Seattle Read more… “Due to health problems, my husband and I can only work part-time jobs. I don’t know what we would do without State funded programs like Basic Health. Thank you for supporting programs that help people like us have decent healthcare coverage.” — Activist from Yakima Read more… “Please remember anyone can find themselves in a situation without insurance. Please don’t leave the children to fend for themselves.”— Activist from Seattle Read more… “I am a single dad with no health insurance and no money to go to a doctor. My child’s mom passed away. I worry constantly about what will happen to my child if I get sick. Please help keep the clinics open — I depend on them to stay healthy.” — Activist from Spokane Read more… “The state of Washington has the opportunity to be a leader in health care reform, in the vacuum of leadership at the national level. Please continue to move our state in a progressive and responsible direction!” — Activist from Lakebay Read more… Expanding access to dental care “Whatcom County in WA selects “unmet dental care needs” as the number one health problem in our Community...here is your chance to do something about this need....please support and encourage the passage of these items in the budget and encourage this help wherever your influence permeates. Thank you.” — Activist from Bellingham Read more… Primary care provider shortage and the Health Professional Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program “Please take advantage of opportunities to support increased provider recruitment efforts. Rural Washington deserves and needs high quality providers to keep us healthy. Imagine the state economy without healthy farmers.” — Activist from Othello Read more… Expanding access to mental health care “Patients are suffering needlessly because of an artificial division between medical and dental and medical and mental health care, and because of lack of access to basic services in these areas. Our hearts know health care for all is the only right thing to do. Please help us take a step in the right direction.” — Activist from Seattle Read more… Uninsured and the need for health insurance “I have a family of four with a gross income of $2,600-$2,800. We cannot afford medical insurance and my employer does not have any medical benefits.” — Activist from Seattle “Please, please don’t let the lower income families fall to the wayside! Think — if they don’t have some form of managed health insurance, the only option for them is emergency hospital rooms… they can’t pay their bill — the hospital incurs the cost. The cost for hospital care increases exponentially, and all health care sees the increased cost. Community clinics are our best answer. They are staffed by PAC’s and NP’s who can screen the patient before they need to see a physician. This form of treatment reduces overall health care cost and in the long term every degree of health care evens out. The cause and effect: Patients are cared for in a timely manner, emergency rooms are left for emergency patients and hospitals don’t eat the cost of seeing a patient when they could’ve have had preventative services given to them at a much reduced cost.” — Activist from Spokane “My family income is $2,100 gross per month for four people. I have no insurance coverage through my employer.” — Activist from Seattle “I think that healthcare should be available for all . . . regardless of income. I work in the medical field and it is very disturbing to see how many patients both children and adults don’t have any medical or dental coverage.” — Activist from Seattle “I go to [a community health center] and they have the best providers I’ve been to. My sister and her sons are without insurance, and [this] is the only place they can receive affordable treatment. Please keep health care strong.” — Activist from Spokane “Just knowing that I have insurance when and if I need it makes everyday an easier and more relaxing day.” — Activist from Longview “I’m on a severely limited income, and a big part of it goes to health and dental care- I know many people, working adults, children, seniors with limited Medicare and/or insurance, cannot afford dental care, and many also still are without health care. Funding for additional providers, as well as funding for care for the uninsured, is a big priority. Thanks for considering it- now, please “hammer out” a budget that helps the most in need in our state! It’s a far more important investment than many you’ll be asked to consider!” — Activist from McCleary Basic Health and Medicaid “Basic Health has made the difference in our family of having medical insurance or going uninsured. We are a working family that is struggling to make ends meet.” — Activist from Nine Mile Falls “I am [a] lower income self employed person with health issues. I depend on Basic Health for my healthcare. I want to thank the State of Washington for stepping up and providing affordable health insurance for our citizens!” — Activist from Okanogan “I am pregnant with my first child. I don’t know what I would do without this clinic and my Medicaid coupon. So many people have no insurance. Please help us!” — Activist from Seattle “Basic Health has been a lifesaver to me since I lost my job. . . . I have much-needed prescriptions that I have to take. Thank you!” — Activist from West Richland “I am a breast cancer survivor. If I wasn’t on Basic Health I might not have survived. I thank God daily for the excellent care I receive at the Clinic here in Olympia. Thank you for working on this very important issue.” — Activist from Olympia “Due to health problems, my husband and I can only work part-time jobs. I don’t know what we would do without State funded programs like Basic Health. Thank you for supporting programs that help people like us have decent healthcare coverage.” — Activist from Yakima “My husband and I and our three children have been on the Basic Health Plan for [many] years. We have used the community health clinics during that time, particularly for dental care for the kids. Our children are mostly grown and as a result, we are no longer eligible for Basic Health ourselves. . . Please support the clinics so we and others like us have available health care we can afford.” — Activist from Pacific “If it were not for CHCs, neither myself nor my children would have any medical or dental treatment. It is hard to find doctors or dentists who take medical coupons.” — Activist from Auburn Children’s health care “Please remember anyone can find themselves in a situation without insurance. Please don’t leave the children to fend for themselves.”— Activist from Seattle “Children are the future of the country and the nation. There are many thousands of thousands of children without healthcare covered by our state. I believe you will make the best healthcare system to benefit all children and working class for our state. Thank you very much!” — Activist from Seattle “If it were not for this help I would be unable to get medical care for my children.” — Activist from Everett “This community clinic has been a vital source of health care for my children.” — Activist from Mountlake Terrace “As a nurse and parent in Washington State I know how important our children’s health is. They are the future and deserve good health.” — Activist from Marysville “As a public school teacher, now retired from Seattle Public Schools, I saw first hand how crucial Community Health Clinics were to the children of low income families. These services provided essential medical care that too many children and their families would not have otherwise been able to access.” — Activist from Seattle “I think that children should be covered, no matter what the income of their parents is. Thank you.” — Activist from Tacoma “Help support the clinics in schools for children.” — Activist from Seattle “This [local community health center] is one of a very few places that will see foster children without question or delay. They are essential to us and the community!” — Activist from Bremerton Community health clinics “After I lost my job and thus my medical insurance, community health clinics like [this one] became a vital lifeline for me as they are for thousands of others.” — Activist from Seattle “The local primary care clinics are the best use of taxpayer’s basic health care dollar. They are open 5-plus days a week (unlike most doctor offices that are only open on average of 3 days week). They do not require a big bureaucracy, provide competition for ’full price’ doctors and insurance companies, and treat hundreds of people per day.” — Activist from Olympia “They take care of us well at my clinic, and in our own language.” — Activist from Lynden “This clinic provides services for all ages — from newborns to seniors. I have no medical insurance and without this clinic, my health issues would go untreated.” — Activist from Seattle “I am a single dad with no health insurance and no money to go to a doctor. My child’s mom passed away. I worry constantly about what will happen to my child if I get sick. Please help keep the clinics open — I depend on them to stay healthy.” — Activist from Spokane “Community clinics are very important because they offer service at a low cost and in our languages otherwise we wouldn’t know where to go.” — Activist from Kent “I have found my health center to be very helpful and my doctor to be knowledgeable and caring. I have no insurance and am disabled. Without their help, it would be a very sad day indeed.” — Activist from Tonasket “With healthcare costs going through the roof and many people with no or very limited insurance, keeping the community clinics open is critical.” — Activist from Seattle “I urge you to keep the clinics open — they are needed by those with low income and no health insurance. Thank you.” — Activist from Tonasket “Cowlitz County has a real shortage of physicians. I don’t know whether the cause is the cost of liability insurance or the lack of customers actually able to pay for health care. I am grateful for the community health clinic, which saved my life two winters ago when I had . . . no health care coverage or prescription coverage and had already spent all my remaining life savings on medicine and health care debt.” — Activist from Longview “This clinic provides services for all ages—from newborns to seniors. I have no medical insurance and without this clinic, my health issues would go untreated.” — Activist from Seattle “My life, and the lives of my children, have been positively impacted by Community Health Centers. Please protect them!” — Activist from Silverdale “Having medical and dental care available to my children is a godsend. Please continue to support community health clinics. Thank you.” — Activist from Port Orchard Health care reform “Funding basic healthcare needs should be at the top of the priority list in a year when we’re holding back on funding many critical things. It is fiscally irresponsible to neglect these basic needs and pay so much more for emergency care. If we’re all bracing for a slow down in economy we need to put funding where we can truly make a difference and that means funding for primary care and dental care.” — Activist from Seattle “Establishing priorities is difficult. But it should not be so difficult to determine that resolving a lack of basic health care is a first priority of responsible, humane government.” — Activist from Seattle “I want to urge your support of the Working Group Bill on Health Care that will finance the study of four innovative approaches to health care reform. With this study we’ll be able to have an objective financial assessment of these four visions for solving the crisis that is plaguing our citizens and draining our state’s budget. Until we have sweeping reform, we need the stop-gap measures of increased dental capacity and expansion of Health Professional Loan Repayment.” — Activist from Seattle “Basic health and dental care are fundamental human rights.” — Activist from Spokane “The state of Washington has the opportunity to be a leader in health care reform, in the vacuum of leadership at the national level. Please continue to move our state in a progressive and responsible direction!” — Activist from Lakebay “Health care is a right, not a privilege. Why are the poor and disenfranchised denied rights afforded those more fortunate? Let us have Washington be a leader in providing the opportunity for access to health/dental care. Good health supports families, learning in children and emotional balance. Thank you for leading on this important issue.” — Activist from Vashon “Providing medical and dental care to those that are less fortunate and being able to keep our health cost down will be a great thing and already is a great blessing.” — Activist from Lakewood “While I understand that this is a tight budget, it’s also important to remember that on this issue, medical and social science has well established that money up front for the most vulnerable in our communities reduces the incidence of outrageously more expensive emergency visits, mental health crisis, and unmanaged long-term chronic care problems. Realistically, the state will pay for this either way. . . Thank you for all your service and hard work.” — Activist from Seattle Expanding access to dental care “There are too few clinics that provide dental services and fewer dentists accept Medicaid, thus providing minimal care. Patients then begin to think the answer is dentures. We know, having family members in that situation. Please help us keep our own teeth—it’s cheaper in the long run.” — Activist from Renton “I am a single mother with two children. I and my children were able to receive dental care through using medical coupons. Taking care of myself allowed me to do a better job of taking care of my kids while I was in school preparing for a good job.” — Activist from Auburn “I see many young children with no prior dental care, who end up needing general anesthesia to have all their baby teeth removed. This is no way to use resources, and no way to start out life. Please help us to provide medical and dental care to all.” — Activist from Seattle “Without this clinic, my children would not have access to dental care. Please do whatever you can to continue supporting them.” — Activist from Bremerton “A lot of dental care needed, I am one. We need all the community health care we can get.” — Activist from Ephrata “I work in the healthcare field and it breaks my heart to say “You are not covered” and see children who suffer from toothaches and miss school because of not having insurance and not being able to afford proper care. Please help fix this awful situation.” — Activist from Bremerton “I like that they have a dental service for adults that is not only for emergencies. Thank you.” — Activist from Wenatchee “Without our clinic, my two children and I would have nowhere to go for dental care.” — Activist from Shelton “I count on the dental clinic for my family.” — Activist from Seattle “I am disabled, on social security with Medicare. [My community health center] gives myself and people like me the affordable dental care we require.” — Activist from Seattle “It’s a wonderful thing to receive quality dental care when you can’t afford it.” — Activist from Shoreline “We need more coverage for dental procedures and more dentists that accept medical coupons.” — Activist from Moses Lake “I believe that they are owed another dental clinic so they can attend to more patients.” — Activist from Walla Walla “We are retired and have to pay for our dental health care. I want to stress how important it is for families to get this care early in their lives. It prevents many problems later on that cost so much more to fix. We are taking from our retirement fund now to pay for our dental. I want to appeal though to you to help families, especially those in great need. It’s their right to be able to care for their health needs.” — Activist from Spokane “Whatcom County in WA selects “unmet dental care needs” as the number one health problem in our Community...here is your chance to do something about this need....please support and encourage the passage of these items in the budget and encourage this help wherever your influence permeates. Thank you.” — Activist from Bellingham “I am a small business owner, and I don’t make enough to be able to afford health insurance. I have no dental coverage and fear the day that I will need to get more work done on my teeth. Please help the working poor out here!” — Activist from Vancouver “Dental is very important to all people. Without Dental care people could get very ill. Please expand the Dental.” — Activist from White Swan “As I write this letter I am having severe tooth pain. I have dental problems that are now affecting my full time job. . . . On medical coupons, if I could even find a dentist that would accept them, the answer was to pull the teeth. I did not want to pull teeth that could be fixed.” — Activist from Port Orchard “Dental care is so basic and vital to good health but out of reach to so many in Washington.” — Activist from Langley “Dental issues cause almost as many school absences as asthma. This affects the education and tax paying productivity of our future generation!” — Activist from Tacoma “We have no dental insurance and the cost is pretty steep to take all of us to the dentist, so we only take our kids. This is just wrong!” — Activist from Hoquiam “As a prenatal care provider, I am very familiar with the research that shows that good dental care for the mother reduces the risk of preterm birth and actually reduces the risk of cavities in this child. Dental care *is* health care!” — Activist from Seattle Primary care provider shortage and the Health Professional Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program “Please increase funding so that we can attract and retain high-quality physicians and thus improve the services we deliver to the community. Here in Olympia, right under the nose of the legislature, patients with Medicaid and even Medicare have few or no options other than our clinic. Patients with no insurance have no other options whatsoever. The emergency rooms are overflowing because of the shortage of primary-care physicians who will see uninsured or underinsured patients.” — Activist from Olympia “Our government has done a great job with loan repayment plans and scholarships, however modern day expenses, have out run the funding. Please increase the funding both for education and loan repayment programs for our new providers. We have to make health careers an attractive option for our university students. We don’t want to lose these fine young men and women to more lucrative professions. . . . Please help keep our doors open and staffed with quality personnel.” — Activist from Lynden “By approving the dental care capacity and the HP Loan Repayment/Scholarship, you will meet your goal and your promise to cover our state’s kids by 2010 and all of our great citizens by 2012! Please make the right choice!” — Activist from Seattle “As a family doctor serving uninsured and underinsured Washingtonians . . . I see people suffering every day for lack of affordable health insurance. Please help us recruit more primary care providers, and provide more dental care for suffering Washingtonians.” — Activist from Ferndale “Please take advantage of opportunities to support increased provider recruitment efforts. Rural Washington deserves and needs high quality providers to keep us healthy. Imagine the state economy without healthy farmers.” — Activist from Othello “We don’t have enough dental providers or dental facilities to serve everybody. Please help with these issues.” — Activist from Othello “Thank you for your prior support, keep it coming! My patients—your constituents—are depending on you. The loan repayment programs bring us more quality providers in a time when they are hard to find anywhere.” — Activist from Auburn “Without my clinic, I would have no healthcare provider. There are no doctors in Spokane that will take new Medicare patients.” — Activist from Spokane “I work in healthcare. The state loan repayment has been invaluable in hiring competent healthcare professionals! When we don’t have a loan repayment slot, that position may be open for a year or more! It really makes a difference.” — Activist from Othello “It’s no secret that Medicaid and Medicare pay so little that it is getting harder and harder to find providers that accept it. We desperately need the community clinics or we with that coverage may have no one and no place to go to.” — Activist from Spokane “Here in the Yakima Valley we have an urgent need to acquire the best-trained providers and RNs for our expanding population of underserved patients.” — Activist from Yakima “More and more physicians and clinics are refusing Medicaid patients. People like me depend on community clinics. Please support them!” — Activist from Olalla “I receive Medicaid and would like to request that you please expand the state loan repayment and scholarship program. Your help will be greatly appreciated by doctors serving the disabled and low income populations. Thanks.” — Activist from Redmond Expanding access to mental health care “I think there is a definite need for mental health services as well as medical and dental care.” — Activist from Napavine “We need more services for mental health.” — Activist from Spokane “We desperately need Community Health Clinics that include dental and mental health services for the citizens of our state (and our nation). The ER is a barometer of health care, and it’s broken! Help!” — Activist from Freeland “Patients are suffering needlessly because of an artificial division between medical and dental and medical and mental health care, and because of [a] lack of access to basic services in these areas. Our hearts know health care for all is the only right thing to do. Please help us take a step in the right direction.” — Activist from Seattle “Please protect community mental health also.” — Activist from Tulalip “Please continue to protect and expand mental health services as well. Thank you.” — Activist from Port Townsend “Access to safe, effective and affordable medical and dental care is a matter of public wellness. Insurance alone is not the complete answer, but it is part of the answer. Please support funding for community health clinics providing whole person health - including mental health concerns.” — Activist from Cosmopolis |
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