As a respiratory therapist and geriatric care manager, I have spent more than 35 years helping heal and advocate for patients and clients, often due to the inequalities of our insurance-driven health care system. It has made me grateful when I meet legislators who strive to correct some of the unintended consequences of profit-driven, rather than people-driven, policies.

I am grateful for state Rep. Elissa Wright who successfully brought together legislators to pass a new law to help families resolve multi-state conservatorship issues and protect elders from financial exploitation and power-of-attorney abuses.

I am grateful for U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy who is fighting to protect Medicaid because he understands that Medicaid is not just for the poor, but for the estimated one-third of the people turning age 65 who will burn through their savings paying for long-term care and will need government assistance.

And I am grateful for U.S. Joe Courtney who, after hearing of the expensive consequences to our seniors, has proposed bipartisan legislation to change the myopic rule that a Medicare recipient must have a three-day inpatient hospital stay in order to qualify for Medicare coverage of a subsequent short-term stay in a rehab facility.

I support these champions of "the little guy" and hope you will, too.