Dear Mr. President

Change We Need

My name is Marjorie Larner and I am writing to you today as a volunteer and a donor to express my firm support for the passage of comprehensive health care reform including a robust public insurance option open to all Americans.

I shared the joy of your campaign in Boulder, Colorado, beginning with the Primary and eventually taking a leave from work to be able to say yes every time there was anything to be done--from neighborhood team leader, office worker, supporting my son as a fellow and then Boulder youth vote coordinator, opening my house for anyone who needed a place to stay or meet, etc. The hope, love and unity was worth every dollar and every minute.

Since the campaign, I have tried to help OFA-- hosted numerous house meetings, organized phone calls and canvassing, went through the training for community organizers. I have listened to an unending stream of health care horror stories that shouldn't go on one more day, much less years or decades.

The people I contact are worried because they are uncertain what we are trying to help you do. They are not sure how far you will go to meet the goal. We understand this is a bigger fight than just about health care.

I feel responsible for what we led people to hope and work for, including the promise of accessible, affordable, quality health care for all of us. I have watched friends and family lose the chance to get the care they need for survival because of health care cost. As an independent consultant in schools, I have to provide my own insurance coverage. The process of being denied was humiliating. I am now on a state program for Uninsurables---high premium, high deductible. I worry I will not be able to continue this indefinitely because of the impact of the economy on my finances. Young adults in my family do not have health insurance. I keep my fingers crossed.

This is the first battle against those you promised we would not let win again. Mr. President, please use your speech to the nation this Wednesday to lead Congress to deliver comprehensive health care reform that includes a robust public insurance option available to all Americans. If we are truly in this together, and if it is true that you need us, please be honest with us about the extent of this battle so we can know what we are fighting for and how best to contribute.

Mr. President, please fight for the real change that will make it possible for all of us to have real health care. I urge you to accept nothing less.

Thank you for your service on our behalf.

Marjorie Larner