Dear Mr. or Ms. Congressperson:

Hi. Just in case any of your staffers are roaming the web looking to see what we the people think about healthcare, I thought I’d let you know what’s going on in the head of this one particular voter/taxpayer.

I don’t have a healthcare horror story to relate--I just have the sort of story that millions of us have. When I opted for self-employment I discovered in real terms what it means to no longer have the leverage provided by small-group coverage: I had no negotiating power whatsoever, and was entirely at the whim of the insurance companies. I’ve written here already about what ensued, but suffice it to say that the merest hint of a possible malady on some sort of red-flag list they keep (an MRI that proved I didn’t have rheumatoid arthritis or any other kind of arthritis, just a shoulder problem that eventually resolved itself) was enough for various insurers to refuse to take me on. I spent weeks trying to arrange coverage until I finally went to the specialist, obtained copies of my medical records, and faxed them in to prove that dammit all, I wasn’t sick. At that point, sure, they were happy to see me and I got coverage.

Two months later they nearly doubled the premium price.

And, of course, after assuring me that I would be able to stay with my current doctor, who is fantastic (and thus my first priority in arranging coverage was to stay with this guy), I called said doctor’s office to make an appointment and was told “Oh no, he doesn’t take that coverage. Hasn’t for ten years now.”

So after being harassed, lied to and conned by the insurance companies, I find myself firmly believing that a public-option healthcare plan is essential. The insurance companies have created a cartel with monopoly powers, and if the government can come in and compete with them, well hell, seems to me that’s good old capitalism at work, and I can’t imagine why all those free-market Republicans would be against it.

Oh wait a second, yes I can imagine why. It’s the tale told by Wendell Potter, former head of corporate communications at CIGNA, who related to Congress and then again on Bill Moyers’s invaluable program, exactly how and why the insurance companies would rather see me die than lose an extra dollar in profit.

And so, Mr. or Ms. Congressperson, Mr. or Madame Senator, I’m putting you on notice. Specifically, Rep. Waxman, Senators Boxer and Feinstein, I’m putting you all on notice: I’m one of your voters, and I’ve decided that in the next election, I’m going to be a single-issue voter. If any of you vote against a healthcare option that includes a competitive public plan, I will in turn vote against you. I don’t care about the rest of your record or how effective you’ve been on this committee or that, I don’t care. Healthcare reform is essential for the long-term growth of the nation, and I firmly believe that a public option must be part of that reform. Give me this, or I’ll go find someone who will.

Thank you for your time. Or I should say, your staffer’s time.