The following letter by SEIU District 1199 President Becky Williams ran in the Nov. 19 issue of the Canton Repository:

Rep. John Boccieri needs to take another look around his district. In Stark County, people wake up every morning praying that they don't get sick because one serious illness could destroy their lives.

His vote means that 44,000 people wouldn't get insurance because they couldn't afford the skyrocketing premiums ("Boccieri explains why he voted against health care reform bill," Nov. 9). With his vote, there wouldn't be any limits on out-of-pocket expenses. These costs helped to force 1,700 families in our community into bankruptcy just last year. Read more.