Her Son’s a Quadriplegic. That’s the Least of Her Worries
It was tragic enough that her 11-year-old son became a quadriplegic after gunshots hit him while he was playing outside. But now Alberta, a single mother, worries every day because she can’t leave her job to take care of her son. Without her job, she has no way to get, or pay for, health coverage for her son.
Alberta told us her story as part of the AFL-CIO and Working America 2009 Health Care for America Survey. She did so because, as she put it:
I wanted to share this story because I just wanted people to understand that your life could change so much in just a few seconds and if the safety enjoyed by those of us who have insurance provided by work could be shattered. Health care is necessary and I didn’t think much about it until I was faced with tragedy and met so many others that were in similar situations some of which have lost everything as a result.
Take Our 2009 Health Care for America Survey
Can this patient be saved?
The patient is the U.S. health care system, and the answer is being debated right now on Capitol Hill and across the nation.
Now you have an opportunity to make your voice heard and help shape health care reform to meet the needs of working families.
The AFL-CIO and Working America want to know about your experiences with America’s health care system—what’s working, what isn’t, what costs too much and more.
We’ve launched the 2009 Health Care for America Survey and urge you to give us your input here.
Tallied results of the survey, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and its 2.5 million-member community affiliate Working America, will be shared with national and state leaders and the media. Congress, the administration and the media are hearing plenty about health care reform from drug makers and insurance companies—they need to hear from working families, too.
