Concerns Over Health Coverage

I am a single parent with a 17-year-old son who will soon be going to college, adding to our already strained budget. Health care is a large portion of our spending. I pay for two individual insurance policies. However, dental care, physical therapy and other services, as well as 20% of my outpatient bills and prescriptions, aren’t covered. This is one of the reasons I voted for Bill Clinton--someone who recognized the need for, among other things, health care reform.

The system of “managed competition” Clinton espouses may not be perfect, but dismantling our outdated health care system will take time. Making health maintenance organizations available to everyone, with the emphasis on preventive care and wellness programs, sounds like a good place to start.

While this country looks to future reforms, a Supreme Court decision allows the insurance of a person with AIDS to be cut from $1 million to $5,000. It’s an expensive disease and the employer “wanted to save money on its medical insurance. . . .” No one can afford to get sick. Clinton’s high priority health care reform is certainly timely and welcome.

JO ANNE MAGEE

North Hollywood