Thomas Daschle: “on a recent visit to South Dakota, I met a couple that impressed me a great deal. Their names are Lowell and Pauline…”

“on a recent visit to South Dakota, I met a couple that impressed me a great deal. Their names are Lowell and Pauline Larson. Throughout their life together, Lowell and Pauline farmed 160 acres just outside of Chester, SD. After a lifetime of hard work, they were looking forward to a well-earned retirement together. But 2 years ago, Pauline suffered a stroke. Before the Larsons knew it, they had incurred $40,000 in medical bills. Even though they had insurance, it only covered $75 a day of Pauline's hospital costs. So Lowell did the only thing he could. He sold all his farm equipment and his cattle to pay the bills. All they are left with is the deed to their farm, and if Pauline suffers another stroke, or if the MS she has been battling for the past 15 years gets worse, the Larsons know they may have to sell their farm. I wish I could say that the Larsons' story came as a surprise to me, but it did not. For the past 4 years, stories like the Larsons' have become commonplace.”