Reform is a matter of life and death

I am a nurse. I work in a walk-in clinic in the Northwest suburbs. The number of people we are seeing without health insurance is increasing dramatically, as are the number of people on Medicaid. Today alone I cared for two people who needed a higher level of care than we could provide.

Neither wanted to go because they didn't have health insurance - their situations were urgent, these were not people with runny noses. It is so frustrating. People are sick and dying in this country because of lack of affordable health care.

People with chronic conditions like asthma are not taking their medications because it costs too much. For some people it has come down to their money or their life.

Health care costs are a burden on businesses, on our families and on our nation. Come on Congress, the time to act is now. The time to pass real health care reform is now.

Marie Agosta

Schaumburg