Many of us a paycheck away from disaster

I am grateful that after nearly a century a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives made history by passing the health reform bill. It is very disappointing that Rep. Don Manzullo opposed the bill.

We spend billions of dollars a year in assistance to countries overseas. I often hear complaints that we do not spend the money here in the United States. Now we have an opportunity to do just that - care for our own people here in the U.S. - by enacting health care reform.

I am very fortunate to have health insurance through my husband's work; however, I personally know friends and family that work very hard, sometimes at more than one job, and yet cannot afford health insurance. It is not a case of providing coverage to people who are too lazy to work. These people are good, hardworking Americans. Yet, because of the flaws and greed of our insurance system, they are one illness away from job loss or bankruptcy.

Is this who we want to be as a nation? Do we not want basic care for our citizens? Is it right that insurance companies can deny coverage and refuse pre-existing conditions without regard for the inhumanity of their decisions? If the government is so incompetent, why is the insurance industry so afraid of competing with a public option?

Our founding fathers understood the value of checks and balances. Capitalism without proper checks and balances by government becomes driven by greed and the profit motive. We need our government to intercede on our behalf to rein in the insurance industry and assist in providing health care that works for the American public.

Catherine Ballew

Crystal Lake