Excitment is brewing in Nevada where large crowds are expected to greet Barack Obama at Reno, Las Vegas and other locations.

Things are also heating up for the big walk on June 9. Locally here in Sascramento, we've pulled together a lot of people for this event.

Today, Barack Obama sent out a letter to supporters on his health care plan dubbed Obamacare by some.

“This is not who we are. We have done everything right. We have done everything we were supposed to do. This is not who we are.”

- Amy in Iowa
submitted online via My Policy

The story of Amy and Lane is the story of America’s health care crisis.

Successful small business owners, Amy and Lane provide vital Internet services to their rural Iowa community. Despite their success, they are on the brink of bankruptcy, paying forty percent of their annual income in health care premiums. They’ve played by the rules of the American Dream, and it’s left them with no savings, no retirement plan, and a growing mountain of credit card debt.

Watch a short video about Amy and Lane’s story, and learn more about our health care plan:

http://my.barackobama.com/healthcare

Amy is right, this is not who we are. We are not a country that rewards hard work and perseverance with bankruptcies and foreclosures. We are not a country that allows major challenges to go unsolved and unaddressed while our people suffer needlessly.

Amy and Lane shared their story -- their concerns, their fears, and their hope -- with us via My Policy the same way you have already done. Their experiences and yours helped shape our approach to health care. Take a minute and learn more about our health care plans:

http://my.barackobama.com/healthcare

Today I want to share the details of our health care plan -- a plan that not only guarantees coverage for every American, but also brings down the cost of health care and reduces every family’s premiums by as much as $2,500.

My plan begins by covering every American. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you is that you’ll spend less money on premiums. If you are one of the 45 million Americans who don’t have health insurance, you will have it after this plan becomes law.

Coverage without cost containment will only shift our burdens, not relieve them, so we will take five steps to remove waste and inefficiency from the system:

1. Catastrophic cases – patients with serious illnesses account for 80% of all health care and insurance costs, and the federal government should pick up the tab for a large portion of these cases directly.
2. Prevention -- refocus our health care system on preventing costly, debilitating conditions in the first place.
3. Quality – track and report treatment outcomes and reward hospitals and providers for quality rather than quantity of service.
4. Electronic Medical Records -- move to a 21st century industry based on the latest information technology.
5. Drug and Insurance Companies -- break the stranglehold that a few big drug and insurance companies have on the health care market.

These steps are designed to help people like Amy and Lane create a hopeful, happy ending to their American Dream. But we’d like to hear your thoughts on how this plan will affect your family and healthcare. We all have a stake in this, and want to hear what you think:

http://my.barackobama.com/healthcare

We have come so far in the health care debate in America, but the real challenges still need to be met. Now is the time for a movement of Americans, working together for the common good, to deliver on the promise of affordable health care for all.

Thank you,

Barack Obama