My son was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 10 and colon cancer at 17. Today, he is a healthy college student, but we know when he graduates in a few years, it will be very difficult for him to find affordable health coverage because of his “pre-existing” cancers. It bothers me that for the rest of his life, no matter where he moves in the United States or what career path he chooses to follow, his first concern will always be health coverage. He’s a very talented, hard-working young man, and his future should not be limited because of our messed up health-insurance industry. Congress must pass health-care reform that makes it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage (or charge exorbitant premiums) for the very illnesses we need insurance for.

Employer-sponsored health-insurance premiums for families have increased 119 percent in the last decade, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. The rising cost is hurting everyone.

Those under private plans are being forced to take higher deductibles or less coverage. Small businesses are dropping health coverage or shifting more of their insurance costs onto employees. And the number of people who simply cannot afford health coverage is growing every day.

Americans are so afraid of paying higher taxes, but government-sponsored plans such as Medicare and Medicaid cover millions — we are already paying for that. Congress will not pass any bill on health-care reform that includes increased taxes on middle- and lower-income Americans. But even if our taxes were raised to pay for a public-insurance option, those taxes would cost the average taxpayer much less than purchasing a private plan.

My husband and I have kept foster children who were on Medicaid. Medicaid covers everything — vision, dental, medical, mental illness, everything. And there is no paperwork. You just show the provider your card, and it’s done. Why does a person have to be unemployed (or a member of Congress) to get that type of coverage from the government? Shouldn’t all hard-working Americans get the same sort of offer?

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a country where if you (or your kids) got sick or hurt you could just go to the doctor of your choosing without having to worry that the cost will prevent you from buying groceries at the end of the week or paying your mortgage next month? We are one of the only industrialized countries in the world that does not provide health care for all its citizens.

Spokesmen for the health-insurance industry are busy trying to spread horror stories of cases in which people from other countries have had serious issues with their public health insurance. Don’t be deceived — horror stories are happening here, too. We have excellent health-care providers in the United States, but our health insurance is lousy. I’m sure in any country you can find people unhappy with some aspect of their health plan. But I doubt whether you could find many who would want to trade it for ours.

We have the best and the brightest minds working in health care. Let’s pass a reform bill that will allow them to do their work. Please write, e-mail, or call your representatives and senators. We need health-insurance reform in America. If we don’t fix it now, we will pay for it later.

Lynn Yoder is a resident of Kalona.