I want insurance, not a handout

I'm a substitute teacher who works almost every school day, I also teach summer school. I make less than $25,000 a year. I'm a government employee who can't even buy into my employer's insurance. Who can afford decent coverage at that salary?

I've been without insurance for quite a while. If I get sick, you have to pay for me. This isn't fair.

I want to pay for insurance, but I'm not able to pay several hundred dollars a month for a good policy. I don't want or need Cadillac insurance, just basic coverage since I'm (luckily) a fairly healthy person.

The House of Representatives got something right - passing the Affordable Health Care for America Act. This caps nearly a century of effort to insure all Americans and stop the cartel the insurance industry has become.

The cartel spent millions (of your premiums) to stop it, but the pressure was resisted. Thank you for standing up for me. A local representative or two did not vote for the bill. This may not be the bill any of us wanted at the start, but that's what happens with compromise. Mark Kirk, you have the chance to redeem yourself - the final House vote is coming soon. Help me, and others like me, or continue to pay my costs when I get sick or injured.

I'm very careful, but you know illness or injury is going to happen someday. I'm good at what I do. Good substitutes are hard to find. You might find me working at Starbucks instead - they insure part-time workers.

Amy Robison

Palatine