Donald Riegle: “I have on regular occasion come to the floor to present stories of individuals and families in Michigan who are facing a…”

“I have on regular occasion come to the floor to present stories of individuals and families in Michigan who are facing a health care crisis of one kind or another to illustrate how serious the problems are in this area that face people and why we need comprehensive health care reform. Today, I want to share the story of Ralph and Lennell Tucker who live in Detroit, MI. In March last year, the family was forced to drop their private health care coverage policy because the monthly premium increased by 50 percent. It went from $530 a month to over $800 a month for family coverage. Now, Ralph Tucker is 50 years old and a former employee of the Mercury Paint Co. in Detroit. In 1991, he was diagnosed with kidney failure and was forced to leave his job because of his disability. He did not qualify for retirement benefits so he did not receive retiree health coverage. The Tuckers were covered under Ralph's health policy while he was working. When he left the job, they maintained the policy by paying the premiums themselves at the cost of which I noted, $530 a month, which is a heck of a large bill to have to pay each month.”