The AFL-CIO has launched its largest-ever online survey to capture Americans’ real experiences with our broken health care system. Survey responses will be given to the presidential candidates, every U.S. senator and representative, every candidate for Congress and state and local officials in every state in our country. The AFL-CIO expects many thousands of responses, which will make this survey one the largest data sets available on individuals’ and families’ health care experiences. The survey is available here.

“You don’t have to look far to see how broken and expensive health care in America is,” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said. “We are doing this survey because we want to be sure every leader in our country understands exactly what’s going on – every elected official from mayor right on up to the top, and every candidate.”

Questions cover such topics as:

* Whether Americans are going into debt because of medical bills;

* Whether they are instead skipping follow-up visits, treatments and prescriptions because they can’t afford to pay for them;

* Whether people are locked in to jobs for fear of losing health insurance;

* What Americans are paying out of pocket each year for health care.

Perhaps most importantly, the survey will invite respondents to tell their own personal stories, in as much detail as they choose.

The survey will run for one month and is open to anyone. Participants can choose to keep their responses anonymous or have them published online with their first name.

In addition to reminding candidates what voters are going through, the results influence the legislative debates about policy reform.

“No doubt, special interests like insurance and pharmaceutical companies will try to scare Americans into accepting the unacceptable system we have now,” Sweeney said. “The results of this survey will keep America on track, reminding everyone of how little there is to lose and how deeply the problems run.”