“I don’t know which was worse, being told that I had cancer or finding that I could not get insurance.”

The people living in the "poor" or "bad" sections of town aren't the only ones without health insurance. Your neighbor in your "middle-class" community might be without it as well. Or, it might even be you.

Ms. Readling, a 50-year-old real estate agent, is one of nearly 47 million people in America with no health insurance.

Increasingly, the problem affects middle-class people like Ms. Readling, who said she made about $60,000 last year. As an independent contractor, like many real estate agents, Ms. Readling does not receive health benefits from an employer. She tried to buy a policy in the individual insurance market, but — having had cancer — could not obtain coverage, except at a price exceeding $27,000 a year, which was more than she could pay. (NYTimes)