Seals backs health care, but does Kirk?

Last week I and nine other residents of Lake Country met with a legislative aid of Mark Kirk to ask for his commitment to support the Health Care for America Now campaign. Health Care for America Now calls for quality, affordable health care for all rather than leaving Americans on their own in an unregulated health-insurance market. Some of the group were small businessmen in Lake County, some had been denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions, some were uninsured because of the cost of individual insurance.

I have spent the last 25 years working with providers, both hospitals and physicians, in trying to help them to file claims, appeals and, in general, fight with insurance companies to be paid for the services they have provided. Over 20 percent of our health-care dollars are spent in administrative costs of filing and processing health care claims. Medical bills cause half of all bankruptcies, and of these, 75 percent of the individuals had health insurance at the time they got sick or injured.

Dan Seals has agreed to support the Health Care for America Now campaign. We are still waiting to hear from Mark Kirk.

Cathy O'Brien

Libertyville