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Kelly Wrote the President About Health Reform -- Today, She's With Him in Nashville.

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 15:09:37 -0400

Every day, the White House receives thousands of letters and emails from across the country. Our job in the Office of Presidential Correspondence is to sort and read each message and make sure that President Obama hears directly from Americans about what matters to them.

Today, the President is speaking in Nashville, Tennessee to talk about the ways health care reform is continuing to help millions of Americans. On his way over, he picked up Kelly Bryant to thank her for the letter she wrote him about the Affordable Care Act and to hear directly from her about how it changed her life.

In 2011, Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer and would later rely on insurance coverage made possible by the Affordable Care Act. She wrote in her letter, “Because of healthcare reform, I am not scared of losing everything. I can start thinking about my new life and how the path is paved with opportunities instead of despair.”

Together, Kelly and President Obama are at a local elementary school, where they've been joined by Natoma Canfield. They’re having a conversation with others from the Nashville area who have written to the President about the Affordable Care Act, as well as doctors, nurses, other healthcare providers and leaders, and volunteers to talk about the ways this law is making a difference in Nashville and across our country.

Kelly has long supported health care reform, because she knew many Americans lacked quality, affordable health coverage. And today, she will have the chance to discuss the impact of this law with her neighbors and the President.

Read her letter here:

Dear President Obama,

I am compelled to write to you today to say thank you. I will touch lightly on my story since it is one of many you have heard throughout your term. I am a 38 year old women who lives in Nashville Tn. After being a Republican for more years than I dare admit, I worked on the 2008 campaign and have been a proud supporter of my senator, Jim Cooper. I had no idea how much the work we did would impact my life personally.

In 2011, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, I was working a job on Music Row and the wonderful people at SESAC allowed me to stay on part time and keep my health insurance. I made a complete recovery and resumed work in 2012. This past year, I decided to make a career shift. Which meant taking the chance and leaving one job without another lined up. Before moving on, I chose to get all of my check ups before my employer health benefits ran out. This time, during a routine mammogram, cancer was found again. I had already resigned my job and it was too late to turn back. Besides with all the treatment on the table, it was impossible to work.

That is where healthcare reform came to play for me. I knew it was important for my fellow citizens but had no idea how much it would mean to me and my family. I was able to find high quality, affordable insurance when I needed it the most. Every month when I pay my premium, I am not angry or stressed. I am thankful that it is there for me and continues to be.

I am still in treatment and will be for a few months. Because of healthcare reform, I am not scared of losing everything. I can start thinking about my new life and how the path is paved with opportunities instead of despair.

I think about your mom often and what she went through. I wish she could see what you have done for the American people, she would be proud. She is proud.

I know you are preparing your state of the Union address as we speak, I know you have the hardest job on the world but you are doing the right thing because it is the right thing. As a country, we can't ask for more than that from one man.

Thank you President Obama, I have a dream of making it back out to DC when there aren't 2 million people there. I can't wait to tour the museums, see the White House and walk amongst the history.

I know this email is one of millions but I hope you can feel my love, gratitude and pride. Keep going Mr. President, you've got this!!

May God Bless you and keep you.

The voices of people across America inform the President and give him invaluable perspective on the progress we’ve made — as well as the work we’ve got left to do. If you want to write the President yourself, you can do that here.

Read the Original Letter Written by the Pennsylvania Woman Whose Story the President Told Today:

Tue, 09 Jun 2015 11:59:06 -0400

Today, speaking from the Catholic Health Association's annual assembly in Washington, D.C., President Obama outlined the state of health care in America, now that the Affordable Care Act has become part of the fabric of our health care system. In it, he told the story of Debra Lea Oren of Palmer, Pennsylvania. Debra, who suffers from osteoarthritis so severe it put her in a wheelchair, couldn't walk or stand for years. She was in constant pain.

Today, she's back on her feet. Here's why:

Debra was able to enroll in an affordable health plan that covered the surgery she needed to help her walk on her own again. As a result, she can walk to the grocery store. She can cook and exercise. She can get herself to her doctors' appointments on her own two feet (and two new knees).

“I walk with my husband Michael and hold hands," she wrote to the President in February. "It’s like a whole new world for me.”

This is what health reform has meant to millions of Americans.

Read the full letter that she wrote the President in February of 2015 — and then get a full look at what a century of reform in the making looks like.

Meet the Teacher Who Wrote the President — and Then Found Herself Shaking His Hand:

Wed, 06 May 2015 11:29:13 -0400

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’re taking time to thank teachers across our nation for serving as role models and dedicating their lives to educating our next generation. These hardworking professionals teach the skills that will fuel our continued growth and innovation, as well as the virtues and values — like kindness, compassion, creativity, and resilience — that will prepare their students for tomorrow’s challenges.

Each year, in classrooms across America, thousands of talented college graduates begin their careers as teachers. In 2012, Tara was a recent graduate when she started working as a special education teacher in Georgia. This past fall, she sat down to write a letter to President Obama about the challenges she initially faced, and the rewarding profession she has grown into after three years in the classroom:

When President Obama was in Georgia this past March, he had the opportunity to thank Tara in person for sharing her story and for her dedication to her students.

President Barack Obama greets letter writer Tara Lax at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Ga., March 10, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This week, everyone is encouraged to share their story about a teacher who has impacted their life — President Obama told us about his fifth-grade teacher Ms. Hefty. You can share your story here, or by using the hashtag #ThankATeacher online.

Over the next few days, we will continue to acknowledge the great teachers who work each day to make a lasting impact on their students' lives. When a young person learns from an exceptional teacher, they are more likely to graduate, attend college, and succeed later in life. Teachers represent what’s best about America. They challenge us to dream big dreams and ensure that our nation improves each day by providing the next generation with the tools they need to thrive.

Asked and Answered: Josie on the Importance of Protecting the Everglades

Fri, 24 Apr 2015 15:25:33 -0400

This is the latest post in our "Asked and Answered" series, in which we periodically feature an exchange between the President -- or a Senior Administration Official -- and an American who wrote him. Check back soon for more -- and if you'd like to write the President yourself, you can do so here.

Every day, the White House receives thousands of letters and emails from Americans across the country. I work in the Office of Presidential Correspondence, and our job is to sort and read through all of those messages, and make sure they get to the right people for responses. Sometimes, letters to the President are shared with his Senior Advisors, either by the President or directly from our office.

In the spirit of Earth Day, we've been reviewing and sharing letters from Americans speaking out about climate change and the importance of preserving our nation's beautiful natural places, and we came across Josie's note from May 2013. While a student at Globe University in Wisconsin, Josie wrote us about the importance of preserving and protecting the Florida Everglades, where she and her family would often vacation when she was a child. That's something the President agrees with wholeheartedly, which is exactly why he headed to this very region this week to take a tour and deliver remarks.

So Senior Advisor to the President Brian Deese, whose duties include overseeing climate, conservation, and energy policy, decided to send an additional reply to Josie. He let Josie know that we agree with her, and shared some of the actions the President has taken in the areas of conservation and preservation since Josie wrote us.

Here's the original letter Josie sent — give it a read, and if you've got a place of your own that you're fighting to preserve, share it with us here.

Here's the response Brian wrote to her:

As Brian wrote to Americans around the country earlier this week, this Earth Day, the conversation has moved far beyond a debate about the existence of climate change. Today (and every day), we're focused on addressing its very real effects here at home, preparing our communities where its impacts are already being felt, and leading an international effort for action.

All week, across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, Americans have been standing up and sharing photos and stories about the natural places they feel personally connected to and invested in. Share yours using the hashtag #ActOnClimate, or send it our way here.

The voices of people across America inform the President and give him invaluable perspective on the progress we’ve made — as well as the work we’ve got left to do. If you want to write the President yourself, you can do that here.

Letters to the President: Marla and the Affordable Care Act

Sat, 15 Nov 2014 11:11:23 -0500

Every day, thousands of Americans write the President about the issues that matter most to them -- and my job is to help sort through them. This post is part of a series that will help highlight the stories of Americans who have written the President about the Affordable Care Act and what it means to them. Starting November 15, you can visit HealthCare.gov to shop for and enroll in a plan that works for you.

The voices of people across America inform the President and give him invaluable perspective on the progress we've made -- as well as the work we've got left to do. If you want to write the President yourself, you can do that here.

“We tentatively read each plan’s offerings, and were very surprised by the quality of the coverage being offered. These plans offered much better coverage than we had previously.”

President Barack Obama participates in a photo line at Cheesman Park in Denver, Colorado, July 9, 2014. This is letter writer Marla Morine of Ft. Collins, CO. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

For too long, many hard-working Americans' access to quality, affordable health care was determined by where they worked. Those who did not have insurance through an employer and were not eligible for another government program were left with one choice: fend for yourself on the open insurance market. Last year, all of that changed for Marla Morine of Fort Collins, Colorado -- and for millions of Americans just like her -- when the Affordable Care Act began making quality, affordable health coverage available to Americans no matter where they work.

Marla experienced the broken individual insurance market firsthand, after she lost her job in 2008. In her mid-fifties, when she needed insurance more than ever before, the best coverage she could find on the individual market was expensive, with a very large deductible and unimpressive coverage. The following year, her premium was set to increase and Marla decided health insurance was something she could no longer afford. She decided to drop coverage and found herself uninsured for the first time in many years.

Americans like Marla who bought health insurance on their own felt that the system was not fair -- and it wasn’t.

Insurance companies could decide not to cover certain pre-existing conditions, they could charge women higher rates than men, and they would raise rates or drop coverage altogether when people tried to actually use their insurance while facing a serious medical emergency.

Fortunately for Marla and the millions of Americans who were buying insurance on their own, the Affordable Care Act created a Health Insurance Marketplace in all 50 states. This means that everyone has access to the same insurance options on an open marketplace. This is quality insurance that includes many protections and rights insurance companies didn’t provide before and no one can be denied or charged more based on pre-existing conditions. What's more, low- and middle-income families are eligible for financial assistance that lowers their monthly premiums and finally makes coverage affordable. You can learn more and find the Marketplace for your state at HealthCare.gov.

In December of last year, Marla and her husband looked into their options for insurance in the Colorado Marketplace.

She wrote to tell the President that they “tentatively read each plan’s offerings, and were very surprised by the quality of the coverage being offered. These plans offered much better coverage than we had previously.” Marla found coverage that fit her budget, and now she is able to get regular wellness check-ups and see a doctor when she is sick. When the President was in Colorado this summer, he had a chance to speak with Marla.

This year’s open enrollment period begins November 15, 2014. Starting this Saturday, you can shop for coverage -- like Marla’s -- that fits your needs and your budget at HealthCare.gov.

Marla’s story reminds us what the Affordable Care Act has been about since the beginning -- ensuring that all Americans have access to the health and economic security that only comprehensive insurance can provide. For Marla this means that she is able to secure good, affordable insurance at a time in her life when she needs it most. For some it will mean they can stay on their parents insurance plan until they are 26 as they begin life on their own. And for others it will mean no longer worrying their child will be unable to find health insurance their entire life because they were born with a pre-existing condition. The Affordable Care Act is benefitting the lives of millions of Americans, like Marla, who know that this law will protect their health and dignity for generations to come.

Letters to the President: The Dicksons and the Affordable Care Act

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 10:52:42 -0500

Every day, thousands of Americans write President Obama about the issues that matter most to them -- and my job is to help sort through them. This post is the first in a series that will help highlight the stories of Americans who have written the President about the Affordable Care Act and what it means to them. Starting November 15, you can visit HealthCare.gov to shop for and enroll in a plan that works for you.

The voices of people across America inform the President and give him invaluable perspective on the progress we've made -- as well as the work we've got left to do. If you want to write the President yourself, you can do that here.

“Because we now have access to affordable healthcare, we have now signed a long-term lease to open a retail business in Georgetown, Texas.”

--Russ and Linda Dickson

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with Texans who wrote letters to the President about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), at the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, April 10, 2014. Participants include: Linda Dickson (52) with Russ Dickson (60) [husband] (antique store owners). (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

For too long, millions of Americans’ only way of obtaining access to comprehensive health insurance was through their jobs.

Many people found themselves staying at jobs only for the insurance it provided for them and their loved ones, keeping them from going back to school, starting a new career, striking out as entrepreneurs, or taking time off to care for family. This changed when the Health Insurance Market Place opened last year, making affordable, high-quality health insurance available to everyone even if they couldn’t get coverage through their jobs and even if they had a pre-existing condition.

Russ and Linda Dickson are experiencing this new freedom. Russ found that, as he neared retirement age, one of the main reasons he stayed in his long-term job was for the health insurance. But when the Marketplace opened last fall, Russ and Linda had a new way to secure affordable, comprehensive insurance for themselves.

No longer being tied to that job meant the Dicksons could become entrepreneurs and open their own small business. Just a few weeks ago, they marked their first anniversary as proud small business owners.

They wrote to the President last October to share their story and their excitement over starting a new business, saying: "Because we now have access to affordable healthcare, we have now signed a long-term lease to open a retail business in Georgetown, Texas."

Russ and Linda described the opportunity these new options created not only for them, but also for other small business owners in their community who are opening businesses alongside theirs. When President Obama visited Austin a few months ago, he stopped by to see Russ and Linda, and they told him that this law has changed their life in the best way possible.

This year’s open enrollment period begins on November 15, 2014. Starting this Saturday, you can shop for coverage -- like the Dicksons’ -- that fits your needs and your budget at HealthCare.gov. The high-quality health insurance offered through the Marketplaces features strong protections that many insurance companies didn’t provide before, and no one can be denied or charged more based on pre-existing conditions. Low- and middle-income families are eligible for financial assistance that lowers their monthly premiums and finally makes coverage affordable, while other low-income families may find that they are eligible for their state’s Medicaid program.

The Affordable Care Act is ensuring that all Americans have access to high-quality, affordable health insurance, giving them the freedom to pursue a new career, open a new business like the Dicksons, or retire without worrying where they will get their health care. Maybe you want to do the same or you are one of the millions of Americans who have historically lacked access to affordable health insurance. See your options for yourself on November 15 at HealthCare.gov.

Letters to the President: Kristy and the Affordable Care Act

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 16:34:56 -0500

Every day, thousands of Americans write the President about the issues that matter most to them -- and my job is to help sort through them. This post is part of a series that will help highlight the stories of Americans who have written the President about the Affordable Care Act and what it means to them. Starting November 15, you can visit HealthCare.gov to shop for and enroll in a plan that works for you.

The voices of people across America inform the President and give him invaluable perspective on the progress we've made -- as well as the work we've got left to do. If you want to write the President yourself, you can do that here.

Last November, Kristy Borum of Canyon Lake, Texas sat down to write a letter to President Obama about the Affordable Care Act.

For years, Kristy explained in her letter, she had supported herself and her children by driving 18-wheeler trucks throughout the U.S. This job allowed her to provide for her family, but did not provide health insurance. And unfortunately for Kristy, private insurance on the open market was not in the budget. Kristy is on Medicare now, but she wasn't a couple of years ago, before the ACA took full effect -- when she became seriously ill and spent 27 days in the hospital. Kristy had been without insurance coverage for decades—and by the time she returned home from the hospital she owed almost $100,000 in medical bills.

She wrote to the President that as a working mother she never had time to worry about politics, so when she heard the debate over the Affordable Care Act, she wanted to let the President know what she felt.

“The affordable health care act will help so many like me. It is still worth fighting for,” she wrote.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with Texans who wrote letters to the President about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), at the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, April 10, 2014. This is letter writer Kristy Borum of Canyon Lake, TX. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

For Kristy and millions of other hardworking Americans, health insurance is not a political issue. Having good health coverage means being able to care for their children, it means knowing they can see a doctor for a physical, it means financial security—it means peace of mind. When President Obama visited Austin this summer, he dropped by to see Kristy. She was glad to meet him and was in good health. She had also almost finished paying off her medical bills, although as she had explained in her letter, she had “really gone without to get there” and had even been forced to deplete her retirement savings. Kristy has been through a lot, but she told the President she will be ok—“When the truckin gets tough the tough get truckin,” she told him.

For too long, millions of Americans without access to affordable, high-quality health insurance have lacked the tools to take care of their health or to protect their finances from a sudden illness like Kristy’s, but now they have the chance to get covered with quality, affordable insurance under the Affordable Care Act. As Kristy candidly told the President, she could see in the President’s face that the Affordable Care Act had taken its toll on him, but being without health insurance has taken its toll on the American people—and that needed to stop.

The Heath Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov is one way the Affordable Care Act is expanding health coverage to many Americans. These insurance marketplaces—established in all 50 states—are where everyone can go to explore their coverage options and purchase quality insurance. Millions of Americans are now covered under insurance acquired through the Marketplaces. This year’s open enrollment period begins on November 15, 2014. Starting November 15, you can shop for coverage that fits your needs and your budget at HealthCare.gov. The high-quality health insurance offered through the Marketplaces features strong protections that many insurance companies didn’t provide before, and no one can be denied or charged more based on pre-existing conditions. Low- and middle-income families are eligible for financial assistance that lowers their monthly premiums and finally makes coverage affordable, while other low-income families may find that they are eligible for their State’s Medicaid program.

The Affordable Care Act is all about protecting people like Kristy—hardworking Americans and their families. People who “keep on truckin,” and deserve to be protected no matter what life throws at them.

On November 15th, you can check out your family’s options and get covered at HealthCare.gov.