Share Your Story: What do preventive health services with no co-pays or deductibles mean to you?

As a state employee I'd always had my family enrolled in a co-pay HMO.  But when the industry began to change, so did he insurancce benefits..  My eldest son graduated from college and found a great job with an internet carrier.  Within 18 months, his job had been shipped to India.  Other jobs he had, he paid high prices for his insurance, now he and his girlfriend are wihout  any.The service industry at the college I worked at was going private - buy-outs were upcoming or you could stay and start over again.  I had 17 years.  I chose to go on with my education and  attended an out of state college, with COBRA coverage, for my youngest and myself, only.  Soon we found ourselves without a COBRA option, so added a school insurance policy - it was too high, and we never used it, as the Health Center at school provided normal visits for me, so I never renewed it.The state offered a Medicaid partial insurance for my son - Peach Care for Kids.  It was great, my son had his own doctors and dentists, and I paid a reasonable price for the insurance.  The clinic serviced my needs and PC had our back, with my youngest son.It's five years later now and a few months ago I jgraduated from with my graduate degree. However I now find myself without any form of medical treatment; and I have no abiity to pay for any type of treatment, due to unemployment.  My daughter and her children are on Medicaid, due to her unemployment (their dad had them on his plan until he lost his job).  My eldest son and family have insurance for their young son only; he works a part-time job (unemployed for 6 mo before the part-time job) and she works a full time job, in a factory.  My son has a BA.  And years of work in various trades.My youngest  has no insurance; he works one full time and one part time job, just to make ends meet.  He's been without insurance since he was 18 years old.  None of his employers carry health insurance.We are all part of the 47%, we don't want to be dependent on the government, and prior to this spirial downfall we've never asked for Medicare for our children.  But the moves made by 'others' has left us dependent, but we only do this for our children's sake.  We'd all like to have our full time jobs back, work hard and come home to healthy and happy families, at the end of the day.  We want a more responsible society, where everyone works at getting 'us' out of the hole of despair (unemployment) and back to paying for our own health care needs (employee benefits).  

I was a student, away from home and in college. There was a Planned Parenthood on campus. One day, I started hemorrhaging. I went to the clinic and they sent me straight to the hospital. If it wasn't for them, I probably would have had a lot more problems than I did. They also gave birth control on campus. This allowed me to finish my education and eventually become an RN. Many unwanted pregnancies were prevented. As far as I'm concerned, that is taking responsibility. 

If I could get preventative health care services for no copays then I would get them . I would not have to worry how I would get the money for the care.

After 10 years working for a company the company was purchased and 41 of 50 sales reps were let go in 2008.  Since then I have held a myriad of jobs, some with health insurance most not.  I have not had a teeth cleaning since them.  I went through a major depression and was fortunate enough to get into a clinical trial.  Fortunately I have healthcare right now and am up to date on well woman care and mammogram but I was not until recently.  The mammogram really scares me to not be current on as my mother had breast cancer when she was 10 years younger than I am now.  I try to eat healthy and take my vitamins so that I don't get sick.