Who needs healthcare?

I saw this article on Al Jazeera America on millennials and healthcare reform. Specifically, that without the millennials, healthcare reform will fail, but because of the economic situation, millennials don’t want health insurance. Jonathan Betz wrote the article entitled, “’I don’t need health care’: Millennials threaten success of reform.” It should also be noted that so many people tried to sign up for health insurance through the exchange that it took some states' exchanges offline. Good thing the House GOP us protecting all these people...oh wait.

Betz profiles a young woman who is disgusted by the mandate requiring everyone to purchase healthcare. This young woman, Stacie Smeal, lives a healthy lifestyle. She makes a valid point about the costs, “I just can’t comprehend working 35 hours a week, where I’m bringing in, after taxes, $200, $250 a week, just so I can have health insurance that I might use once that year. Who wants to work just for your health insurance?”

However, if we had universal healthcare that wouldn't be an issue. Dodged a bullet there, right guys. The insurance exchange opened Tuesday. The article states that the exchange hopes to attract 2.7 million of the 17 million uninsured 18 to 34 year old. This is the group least likely to be insured. Without young people, the cost of Obamacare increases.

A lot of people who are supporters or critics of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) say the bill unfairly targets young people. If you don’t sign up there is a fine of $95 or up to a 2.5 percent of their household income, whichever is greater.

There is debate over the actual costs of the program. The government estimates the cost of health insurance will be between $129 and $240 per month for young people. Although, if they don’t have the money to buy the insurance then they probably won’t have the funds to pay the fine. Many young people are managing the occasional visit for less than the cost of insurance, and only worry if they get in an accident.

So this is when I’m going to be the nag, we should have universal healthcare. We have this shitty option because our elected leaders are pretty fucking stupid, see the faux crisis resulting in a governmental shutdown. However, insurance is hella important. Come close, let me tell you a story…

I have an uncle who served in the military, he’s your second amendment loving, kind of racist (or as I like to put it Midwest racist) uncle we all have. While in the service he hurt his knee, both of them I think. It healed and he went home. However, he then worked a blue collar job for the next 40 years, and his knee started giving him trouble again, obviously. His insurance refused to pay for the knee replacement he needed because he was uninsured for a while as a young man, during his childhood. Fortunately, the VA eventually paid for it after fighting tooth and nail.The argument was that the injury occurred during the time he was uninsured. There is some true to that, manual labor didn't help it, but it was originally injured during the war.

See insurance companies are the enemy. They will deny claims for any reason they can find, which means any time you are uninsured, they will try to say long term problems originated then. It is their job to make money off of you so they don’t want to pay out claims. So even if it is tight, I highly recommend you pay for insurance.

I also, have one more thing to say about those interviewed in the article. These are obviously people with some privileges. I don’t mean that they can’t have an opinion, but I think it is important to note. After all growing up in poverty leave people with health issues like asthma, diabetes, etc. Issues that require long-term medical care if not indefinite. They also aren’t living in food deserts and suffering from poor nutrition. One of the things that struck me in the article was the assertion that young people were being punished for striking out on their own, welp, yeah. That’s kind of how adulthood works for those not in the most privileged class.