I stand with Natoma Canfield, the self-employed house cleaner who has Leukemia and who President Obama discussed in his speech yesterday.

I stand with her because I live with consequences of a chronic disease everyday, am self employed and am barely hanging onto being able to afford health care. If you think health insurance and health care don't mean the same thing to people like Natoma and I, then you are badly informed as to what health care is in this country. I could not afford the medical supplies and drugs that are necessary for my family without insurance. And I can barely afford that. It is the single largest expense my family, and my business has.

Something needs to be done now. The current HCR Bill isn't ideal, but it's far from bad. It will immediately help 31 million Americans who can't get health care now. People with pre-existing conditions who have been denied health insurance, and therefore, health care, until now, will immediately be able to seek health care. They will either be able to insure their children or themselves (individual and small group plans will be immediately made to cover pre-existing conditions) or enlist in the high-risk pool that immediately goes into effect after signing.

And to those who say the HCR Bill won't help Natoma, I say you have no idea. She'd not have lost her insurance if this bill had been in place and her insurance would not have been able to price her out of coverage. As someone who would be on an individual or small-group plan, her pre-existing conditions would not be a reason for refusal. The plans would have to be priced appropriately under the new pricing regulations and the insurance companies would not have been able to price her out of insurance. And given Natoma's current state (and its inevitable impact on her ability to earn income as a self-employed person), there can be no doubt, she'd likely qualify for subsidies for coverage.

This health care bill isn't everything I'd hoped it to be, but, according to Bernie Sanders, there is enough good to pass this bill as is (http://journals.democraticunderground.com/... ). Howard Dean also stands with Natoma ( http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu... ) as does the entire Progressive Caucus (except Kucinich, who is even reconsidering his position http://journals.democraticunderground.com/... ).

It's time for us to stand for the poor, sick and uninsured. It's time to take a stand with Natoma.