Roberta Yetman: Living on the Edge

Roberta Yetman, 57, works as a board-certified fitter for a locally owned durable medical supply company in Erie, PA. She fits mastectomy products for recovering cancer survivors and compression stockings for people with vein disorders.

Roberta earns less than $23,000 per year. Her employer does not offer group health insurance coverage because the owner and Roberta's co-workers have coverage through their spouses. So Roberta has to fend for herself. On her salary, she cannot afford individual health insurance. Roberta is one serious illness away from financial ruin, a sobering reality she considers virtually every day.

Millions of working Americans like Roberta, who are within reach of retirement, are on the "Your on Your Own Health Plan" (YOYOP). As a country, we have to ask ourselves whether this makes good economic sense.

A recent Harvard study showed that in the years leading up to Medicare eligibility, the uninsured go without needed care for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, resulting in an increased use of medical services that continued until at least age 72. "Medicare is bearing the brunt of when uninsured people put of seeing doctors or seeking medical care when they turn 65." (Kolata, NY Times, 7/12/07).

The study suggested that extending coverage could result in cost savings, which would be nice, not to mention improved health and diminished human suffering.

Come on, America. We can do better.