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Great Falls Mom Headed to Washington to Lobby for Health Care Reform

Great Falls Mom Headed to Washington to Lobby for Health Care Reform

By KFBB News Team

Story Created: Jan 8, 2010 at 5:32 PM MST

Story Updated: Jan 8, 2010 at 5:32 PM MST

We introduced you Thursday night to a local woman who is headed to Washington D.C. to talk to Congress about health care reform. We’ll take an in-depth look at why this issue is so close to her heart.

For Wendy White, even a full day of haircuts will not even come close to bringing in enough money to cover the cost of her family's health care. Her husband was laid off from the job that paid their entire premium, and their continued coverage through COBRA recently ran out.

"Now we are without health insurance at all because we can't afford to pay $1100 a month," she explained.

Her husband's new job offers no benefits. And while Wendy saves on childcare costs by bringing her two children to the barber shop, there's just not enough money to go around. So, the group Montana Change that Works is sending Wendy to Washington D.C. as a “citizen lobbyist" to share her story with Congress.

"I'm very excited to speak to somebody about my situation and the way things are, realistically, for a lot of people, especially in Montana," she said.

Things have been tough for Wendy's family. Both of her children require special medical attention, and while they did have medical coverage during the toughest times, follow-up care is still expensive.

"Ethan had club feet when he was born,” Wendy explained. “Caitlin had a cleft lip. She still has issues related to that, neurological issues that we're trying to deal with now and it's just been really tough."

Wendy says she and other families like hers are falling through the cracks, and the men and women deciding the details of health care reform need to know their stories.

“We don't make enough, but we make too much,” she said. “They just need to understand that we're just stuck in the middle. We have no way to do anything."

Montana Change that Works will cover all of Wendy’s travel expenses during the trip. She takes off for Washington D.C. Tuesday morning.

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