It’s a club nobody wants to join.

At a house party in Broomfield last night, I shared a story about suicide
and one family’s fight to save their son. Having traveled across the state
for the last four years as president of Mental Health Colorado, I’d heard
no shortage of such stories.

The story I told came from a grieving father. He’d spent months begging an
insurance company to cover his son’s treatment, only to be denied again
and again.

The company eventually relented and agreed to pay his claim. That good
news arrived three weeks after his son died by suicide, at age 14.

When I finished my story last night, another father approached me to share
a similar ordeal. His son had survived a suicide attempt, and his
insurance company had paid for his hospitalization, but only after four
appeals.

I heard from a mother as well, still paying hospital bills three years
after her daughter attempted suicide. “I’m one of the lucky ones,” she
said, “who got to bring their child home.”

Every family in America, including mine, has been touched by mental
illness or drug addiction or suicide—or by the indifference of an
insurance industry that bases its profits on its ability to deny as many
claims as possible. This system is failing us, and too many people are
paying too high a price.

Each year, an estimated 35,000 Americans die because they can’t afford to
see a doctor. Medical costs force half a million families into bankruptcy.

I’m running for Senate to ensure that all Americans get the health care we
need, including mental health and substance use services. That care should
not depend on the whims of an insurance company or the generosity of an
employer.

I’ve laid out a [ [link removed] ]plan to expand coverage, reduce costs, and improve the
quality of health care. That includes strengthening Medicare and lowering
the age of eligibility to 0.

Reforming this system won’t be easy, but the status quo is killing us.

[2]Andrew Romanoff

Andrew Romanoff
Contribute to Andrew’s campaign: [link removed]

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PAID FOR BY ANDREW ROMANOFF FOR COLORADO