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reported that between 1.9 and 2.2 million Americans had to file for medical bankruptcy. You do not necessarily have to fall below the poverty line in order to become bankrupt from medical bills in this country. Plenty of middle-class households have had to file for Chapters Seven and Thirteen due to their specific health insurance policies not covering them for some inane, vague reason or another. Out-of-pocket medical costs have been sucking this country's finances dry since around 1987. Most of those in such dire financial straits are those with a terminal illness. This means that when that person dies, the debt will go straight to their surviving family members.

Yet another circumstance the American people can change if they all write to their Representatives and persuade them to pass H.R. 676-the single payer solution. If passed, H.R. 676 will ensure health care for everyone in this country. It is by no means a perfect policy, but it is a start, and much, much better than nothing.

The final reason The United States are in such exigencies is because of the sub-prime mortgage crises. This was a disaster Wall Street brought upon itself. In the fall of 2008, the Dow Jones index dropped 500 points. One of this nation's biggest brokerage firms, Merrill Lynch, was forced to sell itself to Bank of America, or else they would have been a goner. Lehman Brothers, the fourth largest investment bank in this country, was forced to file for bankruptcy.

These particular events only affect those involved. This means that the bailout bill is forcing people who did not have anything to do with the stock market crash to help fix it. As a single mother, I can say it is not an understatement that I am not happy about that. I know there are plenty hard working citizens in this country who feel the exact same way I do. We feel like the tree that no one was around to hear when we fell in the forest. How can this nation truly make an impact if our government chooses not to hear us?

Learn more about this author, Katy Andrews.
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