Sidebar: International report on impact of insurance inequity

U.S. insurance inequity and reform in the international press,

"...Guaranteed insurance would make a significant difference to people like Valerie Goodness, a firefighter in Corvallis, Oregon, who was forced to leave her job because of her 13-year-old son's autism. When her employer changed insurance companies, the new one refused to cover his "pre-existing condition" -- a common dodge regarded as one of the system's great iniquities [sic].

Now, if she earns more than $1,000 (€717) a month, she will lose the insurance provided by Medicaid, a state programme for the poor.

"And there is no way I could earn a job that would pay enough for private nursing at $20 to $30 an hour," said Mrs. Goodness.

"I feel like I am forced into poverty just so I can get insurance..."

From
US healthcare reform next on Obama hit list
Independent.ie