We can't force private insurers to put people over profit, but we can make them compete with a public option that does. A public option would provide better care for less money, because policyholders wouldn't have to subsidize shareholder profits, big CEO bonuses, or expensive marketing campaigns.

I, Robert Darrow, am living with AIDS and my friends are being singled out for discrimination in the name of corporate profit by our state's largest insurance company. Please help shine light on this discrimination. This injustice must stop!

Governor Deal has said the state cannot afford to expand Medicaid, even though the federal government would pay 100 percent of the cost for three years and then gradually scale back its support to a permanent level of 90 percent.

I have diabetes, and have lost consciousness, and thought to be drunk because my blood sugars have gone very high or low. I am not able to obtain a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS) because medicare considers it "experimental" even though it has been proven to help diabetics. H.R.3710 [Rep. Shea-Porter, Carol [D-NH-1] (Introduced 12/11/2013)]- Medicare CGM Coverage Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to cover continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) (including a transmitter, receiver, sensors, and test strips required for use) as durable medical equipment (DME). A Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS) is vitally important to many diabetics. This device continuously monitors blood sugars, and alerts when blood sugars start to go dangerously low or high. A CGMS uses a disposable sensor that is placed under the skin every three to seven days and sends a signal to a remote receiver. The receiver provides an estimated blood glucose (sugar) level every five minutes. This allows you to track whether blood glucose is moving up or down (and how fast). The receiver can sound an alarm if the level is too high or too low, or if it is rising or falling too rapidly, so you can take action to correct it. It allows you to detect patterns of highs and lows, so that treatments and habits can be modified to safely improve control. Keeping blood sugars as normal as possible reduces the chances of complications in diabetics, and can reduce the number of Emergency Room visits, and reduce the time required by Medics and Police Officers to tend to "Drunken" calls and passed out diabetics. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a study October 2, 2008, [http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0805017] proving CGMS can be associated with improved blood sugar control in adults with type 1 diabetes. Even with this, and other studies, medicare still considers the CGMS "experimental". There are some medicare advantage plans that cover CGMS, but these plans are regional, and not available to all patients that need a CGMS. CGMS is now a covered benefit for 70 to 80 percent of Americans who have commercial insurance. This petition will save lives, and offer a better life for diabetics.

Dear Rep. Allyson, As your constituent, I write to ask you to urge contact ICE to release Israel Hernandez (A# 079-737-080) from York County Correctional Facility. He is the father of two U.S. citizen girls and they need him home. Israel has been living in the United States for over a decade. He is a small business owner in Norristown, Pennsylvania, known for caring about his community. He donates money, time and contibute to churches, and the local police and fire departments. Israel was picked up by ICE on January 27, 2014 as he was closing his business and was taken to the local county jail. Israel had to return to Mexico in October of 2013 because he father died and he wanted to be present at his funeral. He tried to return immediately after the funeral but was detained at the border, and he was deported in November of last year. His crime was to be with his father in his last moment of life. His nine-year-old daughter, Caitlin, has not eaten since her father’s arrest, almost two days. She is terrified that he may be deported and separated from her. I urge you to contact ICE to immediately release Israel Hernandez (A# 079-737-080) so he can return to his family and his community in Norristown.

My daughter Jasmine Wharton age two fights for her life every day because she wasn't screened for this disease because it is NOT on the Newborn screening in Michigan. Even if a baby had it they would detect it early and do a cbt (cord vlood transplant or a bmt (bone marrow transplant) showing very good results to those that are dected early enough to recieve treatment. PLEASE help make it Jassy's Law By helping out and signing this petition so no other child or parents have to go through this horrible disease!

I am new to Krabbes. Someone my father knows her granddaughter just passed away this jan 2014. Evalina Gonzalez was 2 years old and suffered so much. Even when they took her off life support she gave her best and lived three weeks more over the holidays. Evalina tried so why cant we in her memory. A young single mother at 23 shouldnt have to be alone fighting for her daughter when they have no cure. A simple test could have given her daughter a chance to live with less complications. This is a reason why we need to use our voice and speak on behalf of those who are no longer here. With your help make this possible. Dont be the next person left to fight for your child alone.

An arcane Texas law allowed John Peter Smith Hospital to override a family's decision to remove a brain-dead woman from life support––because she was 14 weeks pregnant. After months of struggling with Texas courts and the hospital to respect her predetermined wishes, the family was finally able to put the mother and unborn fetus to rest––ending the torment this family has endured. But this hellish nightmare isn’t over. The grieving husband has begun to receive medical bills for his wife’s unwanted and contentious treatment. Overzealous sanctity of life laws to protect unborn children have forced the living members of this family-father and young son–to endure emotional stress and now financial hardship. Sign the petition demanding that this family not be held accountable for medical bills the state and hospital racked up––urge them to foot the bill and address this law immediately.

Last month, Bayer CEO Marijn Dekkers was discussing Bayer’s new cancer-fighting drug, Nexavar, at a conference hosted by the Financial Times. Nexavar costs a scandalous $69,000 for an annual supply, and India’s patent court has taken action to make the drug available for a price that India’s people can afford. When Dekkers was asked about India’s decision his response was: “Is this going to have a big effect on our business model? No, because we did not develop this product for the Indian market, let’s be honest. We developed this product for Western patients who can afford this product, quite honestly." Join us in sending a message to Bayer and Marijn Dekker that their racist policies and corporate class warfare will not be tolerated: it's time to fire Marijn Dekker and make cancer-fighting medication affordable to those who need it.

In Massachusetts, three insurance companies have a combined market share of nearly 70% of the health insurance market. Having a meaningful number of options available to Massachusetts families is a necessary component of a health care system that can control costs. Having a public option would give Massachusetts families more choices. In addition, a public plan could operate without excessive administrative and marketing costs, high executive salaries or a need to generate profits. As a result, a public option could provide a good deal for consumers and keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers well by acting as a benchmark for affordability and quality of care. As proud as I am of the progress we've made in Massachusetts on health care, we still have a ways to go. Establishing a public option is one more step we can take to make sure that every resident has access to the best possible health care in the Commonwealth.

I believe in the civil freedom to choose my medicine. I have seen many patients quality of life improve from cannabis, and bring them peace before they have passed on. Conventional pharmaceuticals are not right for everyone, so everyone should not be forced to use what is not best for them as medicine because it is accepted as a social norm. I believe cannabis is a much more healthy and less expensive health care option for many, and should be readily available while our legislature makes up their minds of what to do with patients now that I-502 has began implementation so patients do not have to suffer and potentially die in the mean time.

Clinical trial of investigational new drugs are an essential part of the process through which vitally needed new medicines reach the market. While rules assuring patient safety are in place through the Food and Drug Administration, the Office of Human Research Protections and participating Clinical Trial institutions, compliance varies. An Independent Patient Advocate would provide a needed communications conduit and meaningful oversight of Patient safety. Despite an FDA Guidance for Clinical Trial Sponsors that recommends inclusion of patients in Data Monitoring Committees, there is no required Patient involvement or oversight in monitoring the conduct of a clinical trial. There is no conduit for Patients to express concerns over care beyond their attending healthcare professionals. Patients are routinely excluded from knowledge of their own clinical trials, including knowledge of unanticipated adverse events. As Patients in clinical trial, we need to know that our health concerns will be heard and that all SAEs will be reported to us promptly and the risk assessment conveyed to us as quickly as possible, Only when we are fully informed can we provide meaningful informed consent to participate in the Clinical Trial protocol.