The young people can't wait for health care reform

By Nikki Boudreau

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Most young people grow up greatly anticipating the milestones that lead us into adulthood. At 16, you get to drive; at 18, you get to vote. Birthdays are not just a cause for celebration, they often lead us to broader horizons and opportunities to take on more adult privileges.

But, as with anything, there are exceptions to the rule. Increasingly, my fellow students at California State University, Stanislaus and I are finding out that reaching certain birthdays can mean losing access to health care.

That's why I'm hopeful that the proposed reforms being considered in Congress will ensure that young people who age out of their coverage don't have to live in fear of needing costly health care.

Here in the Central Valley, health care reform is especially important because so many people work in seasonal agricultural jobs -- and so many in our communities are struggling to keep their homes and jobs. Our region has some of the highest rates of people being uninsured, according to the latest Census Bureau report. As many as one in four people go without any health coverage in some parts of the Central Valley.

I know from my own experience how important health care reform is for young people. I've lived without coverage for most of my life. Last year, I had an extremely serious case of the flu and had to go to the emergency room. The bill came to $3,000. But I also learned that I was eligible for Medi-Cal. For the first time since I was a child, I was able to take care of needed dental work and get prescription glasses.

My window of opportunity turned out to be very small. Turning 21 meant I no longer qualified for Medi-Cal's services for youth. Now I'm just another emergency room visit away from having to drop out of school to pay a hospital bill.

Even students whose families have good insurance aren't free from worry. My boyfriend Josh was covered most of his life by his mother's policy but when he turned 25, he lost coverage because he was too old to be considered a dependent. He needs to have his painful wisdom teeth removed and get new glasses to correct his astigmatism, but cannot because he can't afford to buy individual health insurance.

Vision and dental are covered under some of the reform proposals in Congress. We need these changes to the insurance market so Josh and others don't have to suffer poor eyesight and dental pain just because they turn a year older.

Sure, there are some students whose parents can afford to pay out of pocket for health coverage, but among my peers at CSU Stanislaus, those students are by far the minority. Most are like Josh and me, who are financially responsible for all of our living, tuition, and medical expenses.

Some people say that people in their 20s don't buy coverage because they view themselves as "invincible" -- but the reality is that most people my age want insurance and just can't get it.

Like all Americans, we're dealing with the toughest job market in decades, but even in good economic times, young people are less likely to have access to affordable insurance.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust shows insurance costs have more than doubled in 10 years, much faster than increases in inflation or wages.

Most of our parents and grandparents entered their 20s hopeful about the future and the possibilities before them. They believed if they worked hard at good jobs, they could live secure, middle-class lives and provide their kids with better opportunities than they had. The expense and uncertainty we face in the current health care market threatens to bankrupt that dream, both figuratively and literally.

I know our leaders in Washington want Josh, me and people our age across the valley to be able to live that American dream. I'm hopeful they will do the right thing and pass real health care reform now.

Boudreau is senior art major at California State University, Stanislaus.