Everyone has an inherent right to medical care. Expanding Medicaid in Nebraska will provide 77,000 Nebraskans who currently have no medical insurance with medical insurance. It will save 67-212 lives per year. It will ensure that rural hospitals don't close because they have too much bad debt from charity cases (some rural hospitals have closed in states that haven't yet expanded Medicaid). Expanding Medicaid will create jobs and that will result in more income taxes and sales taxes paid. This increase in revenue will pay for Nebraska's share of the expansion (10% in 2020 and on). Expanding Medicaid will mean fewer businesses will be fined for not providing their workers with health insurance. Fewer people will declare bankruptcy, which will also be good for businesses. It makes sense on all fronts.

Females make up about 50% of the United States population, yet the disparities among women in regards to access to healthcare is relatively unknown to the public. In the United States, 33% of women identify as a member of a race or ethnicity other than white. If current trends continue, this number of female minorities could grow to as much as 50% by mid-century. Social factors (i.e., work environments, neighborhoods, housing, early memories, etc.) are suspected to have just as much influence over a person’s overall health as their own personal habits do (i.e., smoking, drinking, diet, etc.). One of the biggest social factors facing women today is the gender wage gap which also affects women’s access to good healthcare coverage. It’s no secret women are grossly underpaid compared to their male counterparts, this statistic is especially apparent in regards to women of color. Usually women of color seek medical attention and services through clinics; whereas white woman usually see private health care providers and doctors. According to the article, Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities Among Women in California, women of color “have worse health outcomes than those of white women…” These health outcomes include: death due to heart disease, cancers such as cervical cancer, as well as higher rate of infant death and other associated deaths at birth. California is considered one of the most diverse states in the U.S., and income and socio-economic class have a great impact on the care that families are able to receive. Women of color tend to have the lowest paying jobs, they face underemployment and unemployment, and they usually have the inferior jobs. Factoring in socioeconomic stressors, and inequalities, these health problems could be connected. High blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity can have a direct connection with poverty. Also, lack of financial stability leads to eating unhealthy foods, which can have consequences to one’s health. According to the Beijing Platform for Action, adopted in 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” However, women still tend to have worse health than men. Much of this is a direct result of the lack of available health care services for women, especially minority women. It is known that women utilize health care services more than men do, in part due to the physical health problems that come with being a women (in pregnancies, menstruation cycles, fertility, menopause, etc.). And even with all of this, women are greatly underrepresented in the health care decisions made. The quality, accessibility, and affordability factors within health care all play a part in the inequalities women in general, and of minorities, face on a daily basis throughout their entire lifespan. Women also have a greater risk for a number of serious and deadly conditions such as: diabetes, cancers, obesity and HIV/AIDS. Even though the rate of HIV/AIDS has gone down 21% among black women between 2008 and 2010, 63% of black women are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (new infections). The rate of new infections for Hispanic is more than quadruple of those women who are not Hispanic. Minority women are also more than twice as likely to have higher infant and pregnancy related mortality rates. Also, black women are more than twice as likely to have a baby die as a white woman. Minority women are also less likely to have important screenings for cancers. This needs to change. Until the majority stands up and fights, this will continue to happen. All women should have access to good health care.

People with heroin addictions have no place to go in Central NY for Treatment. 22,700,000 need treatment, only about 2 million get it. Our children are dying, our jails are filling up. Jails and cemeteries are not enough.

My daughter Angela attends Maryhaven Center of Hope, which does a wonderful job providing disabled adults a place to work along with supportive education and counseling. The Federal Government is trying to take away Medicaid funding for these Sheltered Workshops, and close down all Sheltered Workshops for the disabled in the United States.

It has become apparent to me that these ads are counterproductive. People see these ads and press their doctors to prescribe them, even when they are nor what a medical professional would prescribe.

It has become apparent to me that these ads are counterproductive. People see these ads and press their doctors to prescribe them, even when they are nor what a medical professional would prescribe.

I lost my son on November 3, 2015, to a heroin overdose. He was 31 years old with 2 children ages 2 and 3 1/2. He detoxed two weeks prior to his death and was on a waiting list for a bed but overdosed prior to getting one.

The Honorable Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. 22 S. Third Street 6A Harrisburg, Pa. 17101 November 12, 2015 Dear Senator Casey: My name is Monica L. Wallace and I am a rising Junior at Carlow University's School of Social Work studying to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with a concentration of Crisis and Trauma. I am writing you as a constituent to tell you my story and also express my hope that you will push to get Bill S. 1503, the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015, from the introduction phase to being passed through both Houses and finally becoming a law. There is so much that medical professionals and the general public does not know about Lyme Disease. It mostly affects our most precious population--our children--and if not treated, can have life-long affects and be fatal. I am a voice of the people affected with this disease and I am pleading with you to help our children. July 2013 is when I become aware of Lyme Disease. My son Nathaniel at the age of three was bitten by a blacklegged tick on his neck. For three months he endured flu like symptoms and pain. Every single time that I took him to get examined by a doctor I was told that he was fine or it was just a bug. One time I took him to his primary care physician because he woke up with a red flaky rash on his forehead near his hairline. A rash is one of the first signs of Lyme Disease. The doctor accused me of placing my child in danger and permitting or letting him have access to chemicals. In September 2013 my son expressed that his knee was hurting and appeared to walk with a limp. Shortly thereafter his knee swelled up and he was unable to move his leg. I took him to the hospital to be examined. I explained to the physician and the medical staff about his condition and the countless trips to his PCP and the hospital and every time I was he was seen I told nothing was wrong with him. Now here we are months later and with the same symptoms and now he has loss mobility. I told the ER doctor that there is definitely something wrong with my son and you have to fix him! They performed a battery of tests and drew some fluid from his knee. I was told by the physician that fluid in his knee was a yellow-green color instead of the clear indicating an infection. That day he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and it was stated to me that it is in his blood and had spread throughout his body. He was immediately admitted. His was treated but not cured. He still has symptoms to this day. My son was 1 of the 5,758 statewide reported cases of Lyme Disease in 2013 in. For the past five years, Pennsylvania has reported the most Lyme disease cases nationwide according to the CDC. Here are some scary facts about Lyme Diesase: • Blacklegged ticks can transmit a parasite which can cause anemia. • Has the potential to be fatal. • Can causes fever, headache, chills and muscle aches. • The disease also can lead to psychological changes. Lyme Disease can be cured if detected early so there is hope to stop it before it becomes an epidemic. It is sad that this disease attacks one of our most precious populations: our children between the ages of 3-7. I am pleading with you to help our children and push to get Bill S. 1503 1503 the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015 passed. Sincerely, Monica L. Wallace

My son has fallen into the progression of a drug addiction. He is now cutting school and running away. His high school sent him for a drug test at Cape Regional Hospital and he tested positive for cocaine. The doctor told me in front of my son that it could very well be a false positve. He said he's fine to go back to school. I asked him to be held because he is hurting himself. They sent him home.

We the undersigned would like to bring your attention to the following problem, with recommendations: John Brooks Recovery Center (JBRC) is a nonprofit agency providing Substance Abuse services to the residents of NJ since 1969. Clients are able to access various levels of care based upon an individual assessment. Psychiatric evaluations, medication monitoring and individualized care are offered to all clients. Medication assisted therapy is also available in all modalities. JBRC is a 119 bed facility located in Atlantic City, providing long term inpatient care. This represents ten percent of the long term treatment beds in New Jersey and the only long term residential facility in South Jersey serving the uninsured general public. The residential treatment programs are for adult men and women whose lives have been significantly impacted by the use of drugs and/or alcohol. The program is 3 to 6 months long depending on the individual’s progress. Originally an agreement was struck to relocate JBRC with Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) picking up the tab—a move that Governor Christie supported; however casinos began to close. Ultimately the CRDA agreed to fund part of the agreement. Under the new agreement JBRC would receive $8.1 million; 4 million for the relocation and renovation of two outpatient sites outside of the Tourist District and 4.1 million for the purchase of its buildings in AC. The construction costs of a new facility to fully replace the 119 beds is approximately $10 million. With the current proposal in place, JBRC would only be able to provide outpatient services (including the methadone clinic). The $8.1 million is really not enough to fund a new facility. Part of the problem is unmet promises by the state to increase the fees for residential treatment from the current $68 per day. If the $68 that is currently being paid is increased it may be possible to obtain a bank loan for the remainder of the funds needed to rebuild with the same capacity. JBRC receives almost all of their funds from the state. The recommendation is to have CEO Alan Oberman from JBRC sit down with state officials and the CRDA to work on a financial solution.

we want our lives back.

I am concerned for the long term health of people who eat meat. I am also against the cruel suffering inflicted on animals by factory farms that produce bacon.