Obama Shares Letter from Struggling Health Insurance Customer

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs read the following letter in today's daily press briefing.  The letter comes from an Ohio woman who has struggled with paying her health care premiums.  President Obama read this letter to health insurance executives at the White House today.

DEAR PRESIDENT OBAMA,

I AM 50 YEARS OLD. I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CARCINOMA 16 YEARS AGO AND FOLLOWING MY DIVORCE 12 YEARS AGO I BECAME SELF EMPLOYED. AFTER MY COBRA BENEFITS RAN OUT I WAS ABLE TO FIND COSTLY YET AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE. AS A RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL I HAVE STRUGGLED TO MAINTAIN MY INDIVIDUAL COVERAGE AND HAVE INCREASED MY DEDUCTIBLE AND OUT OF POCKET LIMITS IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONTROL MY COSTS AND KEEP MY HEALTH INSURANCE. LAST YEAR. 2009, MY INSURANCE PREMIUM WAS INCREASED 25 % EVEN THOUGH I INCREASED MY DEDUCTIBLE AND OUT OF POCKET TO THE HIGHEST LIMITS AVAILABLE. I PAID OUT OVER $6075.24 IN PREMIUMS $20415.26 FOR MEDICAL CARE $225 IN CO-PAYS AND $1500 FOR PRESCRIPTIONS. I NEVER REACHED MY DEDUCTIBLE OF $2500 SO THE INSURANCE COMPANY ONLY PAID OUT A TOTAL OF $935.32 TO MY PROVIDERS. I MUST REPEAT, IN 2009 MY INSURANCE COMPANY RECEIVED $6075.24 IN PREMIUMS AND PAID OUT ONLY 935.32. INCREDIBLY I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED THAT MY PREMIUM FOR NEXT YEAR, 2010, HAS BEEN INCREASED OVER 40% TO $8496.24. THIS IS THE SAME INSURANCE COMPANY I'VE BEEN WITH FOR OVER 11 CANCER-FREE YEARS. I NEED YOUR HEALTH REFORM BILL TO HELP ME. I SIMPLY CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO PAY FOR MY HEALTH CARE COSTS.

THANKS TO THIS INCREDIBLE PREMIUM INCREASE DEMANDED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY, JANUARY WILL BE MY LAST MONTH OF INSURANCE. I LIVE IN THE HOUSE MY MOTHER AND FATHER BUILT IN 1958 AND I AM SO AFRAID OF THE POSSIBILITY I MIGHT LOSE THIS FAMILY HEIRLOOM AS A RESULT OF BEING FORCED TO DROP MY HEALTH CARE INSURANCE.