Growing need for Medicare for All

In early 2007, my wife and I were employed with stable jobs in IT. We were building our family; like many Americans, we had a mortgage, young children, and a trust in our country's systems. Then, the market crashed.

We both lost our jobs, and along with them, our health care. We were pointed in the direction of COBRA for insurance, but found that the payments were four times higher than our employer-sponsored insurance, and it didn't cover dental or vision.

It took us six months before one of us got back into a stable job. By that time, we had used up all of our savings. Although we were fortunate enough to be healthy during those six months, it was such a stressful time for us. We lived in constant anxiety; what if we lost our jobs again? Where would we turn to for help?

With millions of people out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, a number that is increasingly growing, I can only empathize with the pain of those who have lost their jobs. We shouldn't have to live in fear of how we would finance the health of ourselves and our families during a global pandemic.

Even now, while employed in full time work, my employer insurance falls short. I still remember having to go to the emergency room for my 8-year-old son. Instead of being able to focus on his health, we worried about the extremely high co-pay and the two-hour hospital wait we faced upon arrival. If this is the burden on us, I cannot imagine the burden on low-income families.

The private health insurance system is convoluted. It has been proven that the ACA is not enough. COBRA is not enough. We need a better system. We need legislators to enact Medicare for All.

Raghu Kalakuntla

Schaumburg