I had to purchase private health insurance last week because my company plan changed last year to cover almost nothing at all: maximum lifetime payout of $2,000, monthly premiums still $69.

I am young, healthy, and have a great family medical history. Yet I was advised to buy a plan with high deductibles, lots of co-pays, and by the way, it doesn't cover the first several thousand dollars worth of accidents or critical illnesses, nor does it cover any therapy, or the cost of getting pregnant or having a baby if I should want to. So I had to buy more supplemental insurance for those things, which I did.

I sat on my porch with a lovely insurance agent trying to get me the best coverage for a somewhat affordable price and filled out more than 20 pages of forms. At the same time, a bill sits on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk that would provide me with complete health care coverage regardless of what happens to me, my employment status, or pre-existing conditions for the rest of my life. And I might also mention that it would save the cash-poor state of California more than $1 billion in the first year on its own employees’ and retirees’ medical costs.

The governor vetoed this bill the last time both houses passed it, but I would urge him to think more carefully this time. Isn't it time to put the people in his state before the health insurance and pharmaceutical companies' profits? — Shannon Miller

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