As heard on NPR's All Things Considered.
Health care reform promises to make insurance more affordable, which is good news for 19-29 year olds. That demographic tends to earn the least money and have the fewest protections, making them the most uninsured group in the nation. Youth Radio talked to five uninsured young people from across the country, so called “Young Invincibles,” asking the question “what’s the first thing you’ll do, when you get health insurance?”
Voices Include: Molly Adams of Chicago, Il, Javier Cabral of Los Angeles, CA, Kayla Sloan of Whitesburg, KY, and Nathan Hadden of Oakland, CA.
A note of caution before sinking your teeth into the idea of expanded federally sponsored dental coverage. While more protections will be offered to those younger than 21, for everyone else, dental insurance will be available through state-by-state exchanges. This bill doesn’t mandate carrying dental insurance.
Special Thanks to the Appalachian Media Institute
By: Emily Beaver
If you dozed off during the endless debate over health care reform, it's time to perk up. Members of Congress are planning to make a decision on a health reform bill this week.
So what's happening now? After political changes in January stalled Democrats' efforts to overhaul our health care system, President Obama stepped in. After February's televised health care summit, Obama said it was time for Congress to stop the endless debate on health care reform and take action. Democrats are worried that if they don't pass a health reform bill soon, reform will lose momentum as members of Congress break for Easter recess.
Obama has gone on the road to push for health reform, making his first stop at Arcadia University to rally support for reform. The Democratic party's leadership is counting votes (they need 216 votes in the House and 51 in the Senate to pass reform) and trying to convince members of their party who haven't agreed to vote for reform. Obama even took Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic Congressman from Ohio, for a ride on Air Force One to persuade him to vote for the health care reform. Republicans are mounting their own campaign to get lawmakers to vote against healthcare reform. Interest groups are dropping millions on advertisements to pressure lawmakers into voting against (or for) the bill.
While this is a big moment for health care reform, what actually happens in Congress this week may not be dramatic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has suggested that members of the House of Representatives may try to approve the bill without technically voting on it, using a legislative tactic called the "self-executing rule." If Congress passes reform, the way Americans access and pay for health care could change drastically. But this isn't our country's first attempt at changing our health care system. If Democrats can't get the votes they need --or find another legislative maneuver to pass reform--it's quite possible that we'll still have the same health care system we've been complaining about for years.
At times, the health reform debate has reminded me of the noise a refrigerator makes -- after a while, you get so used to the monotonous hum in the background you automatically tune it out. If Congress doesn't pass reform now, the health care debate won't vanish. It will just keep humming in the background.
[UPDATE: The White House has starting posting the video in chunks. Part one is up, with more to follow.]
Riveting at points, boring as all hell at others, today's Health Care summit is the kind of politics we haven't seen before. The whole health care debate has been ugly, sometimes quite literally so. While there's been a fair amount of disingenuous arguments made around that table the crazy beautiful thing that happened today is this: we got to see them sit around that table.
Oh sure we've had CSPAN for ages, but can you really count footage from an empty Senate chamber as a real look at democracy? And yes, the politicians gave speeches to each other. We have to be a little patient, they're politicians after all. Anyone whose ever sat in on a high school debate tournament will recognize that the kind of person who grows up to be a politician isn't really trained to listen for anything but some leverage to use against the other guy. So it will take some time before this kind of thing produces real, rational discussion, but here's to baby steps.
Here's to America coming of age.
By Emily Beaver
As most of us were sitting down in front of our TVs to watch the Super Bowl last weekend, President Obama announced he would hold a televised health care reform summit on February 25. The summit is aimed at bringing Democrats and Republicans back to the table to talk about health care reform. Reform has stalled since Democrats lost a Senate seat in January.
If you haven't been paying attention, it's worth tuning back into the health care debate. What Congress decides to do -- or not do -- about health care will have a big affect on young adults, who are more likely to be uninsured than any other age group.
Aaron Smith, a Georgetown University law student and one of the founders of Young Invincibles, the youth advocacy group that's worked to get young people involved in the health care reform debate, says it's been challenging to keep young people engaged during the long debate. Smith says he thinks young people are looking for a signal that Congress is going to move forward with reform.
Krisja Hendricks, a 28-year-old New Yorker, says she hopes members of Congress will be able to "put politics aside and focus on helping people get affordable health insurance."
Hendricks, who has struggled to get health insurance after suffering chronic illnesses, has been speaking out about health care reform since Rock the Vote asked its members to submit personal stories about health care last year. In October, she spoke in support of extending dependent health insurance coverage--the length of time young adults can stay insured under their parents' health plans--at a press conference held by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
With the Senate's one o'clock in the morning vote to pass their version of health care reform now history, the United States lurches forward on the path to some kind of major overhaul in health care. While the rules of the game will be changing soon, the basics look likely to stay the same in the years to come: finding health insurance is going to be just as confusing and daunting a task as ever.
To help those who are just entering into the health care market understand what they're in for, we assembled a panel of our newsroom interns and let them question former health care industry reporter Emily Beaver. In this edition of "Health Care Conundrums", Sarah Hamik asks if you need a job to get insurance coverage.
While we're on the subject... our friends at Oakland North has this meaty piece on the prospects of an overhaul of Oakland's public health care system in the style of the "Healthy San Francisco" program. Check out "A Tale Of Two Cities, Health Care Edition".
In this episode of Health Care Conundrums, Derek Williams and Andrea Hill hit our health care blogger Emily Beaver with a two for one: when should a teenager start looking for health insurance and what is a good deal on health care?
Emily Beaver has been blogging about health care issues for us as part of our Generation Invincible project. In this new series of videos Emily takes her experience working for a health care industry publication-- where she boiled down complex government policies for health care professionals-- and flips it. The newsroom interns got together their questions about how health care works, and Emily takes their questions head on.
As heard on NPR's Morning Edition.
By Brittany Hunsaker
My nineteenth birthday was a bittersweet occasion. That day, I officially aged out of Kentucky’s insurance program for low income youth.
As luck would have it, I developed a health problem almost immediately. Pain in my teeth spread to my head and neck. Headaches made it impossible to concentrate in my college classes. I couldn’t see well enough to drive. Going to the doctor or dentist costs more than my weekly paycheck from a fast food restaurant. I had to choose between oral surgery and textbooks that semester. Textbooks lost, but luckily I made it through that class.
When it comes to healthcare, I do have options. Just not good ones. In the rural county where I grew up, it’s not just young people who don’t have insurance. Adults, unemployed or underemployed in minimum wage jobs are also without coverage. You can get healthcare there if you’re in a dire situation…like if you’re pregnant or recovering from drug addiction. I know a few girls who got pregnant just to afford a doctor’s visit, or had another baby just to keep their health insurance.
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(download mp3)Emily Beaver has been blogging about health care issues for us as part of our Generation Invincible project. In this new series of videos Emily takes her experience working for a health care industry publication-- where she boiled down complex government policies for health care professionals-- and flips it. The newsroom interns got together their questions about how health care works, and Emily takes their questions head on.
In this episode of Health Care Conundrums, Venus Morris asks a simple question: why is it called a health care PREMIUM?
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As heard on NPR's All Things Considered.
Health care reform promises to make insurance more affordable, which is good news for 19-29 year olds. That demographic tends to earn the least money and have the fewest protections, making them the most uninsured group in the nation. Youth Radio talked to five uninsured young people from across the country, so called “Young Invincibles,” asking the question “what’s the first thing you’ll do, when you get health insurance?”
Voices Include: Molly Adams of Chicago, Il, Javier Cabral of Los Angeles, CA, Kayla Sloan of Whitesburg, KY, and Nathan Hadden of Oakland, CA.
A note of caution before sinking your teeth into the idea of expanded federally sponsored dental coverage. While more protections will be offered to those younger than 21, for everyone else, dental insurance will be available through state-by-state exchanges. This bill doesn’t mandate carrying dental insurance.
Special Thanks to the Appalachian Media Institute
If you dozed off during the endless debate over health care reform, it's time to perk up. Members of Congress are planning to make a decision on a health reform bill this week.
So what's happening now? After political changes in January stalled Democrats' efforts to overhaul our health care system, President Obama stepped in. After February's televised health care summit, Obama said it was time for Congress to stop the endless debate on health care reform and take action. Democrats are worried that if they don't pass a health reform bill soon, reform will lose momentum as members of Congress break for Easter recess.
Obama has gone on the road to push for health reform, making his first stop at Arcadia University to rally support for reform. The Democratic party's leadership is counting votes (they need 216 votes in the House and 51 in the Senate to pass reform) and trying to convince members of their party who haven't agreed to vote for reform. Obama even took Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic Congressman from Ohio, for a ride on Air Force One to persuade him to vote for the health care reform. Republicans are mounting their own campaign to get lawmakers to vote against healthcare reform. Interest groups are dropping millions on advertisements to pressure lawmakers into voting against (or for) the bill.
While this is a big moment for health care reform, what actually happens in Congress this week may not be dramatic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has suggested that members of the House of Representatives may try to approve the bill without technically voting on it, using a legislative tactic called the "self-executing rule." If Congress passes reform, the way Americans access and pay for health care could change drastically. But this isn't our country's first attempt at changing our health care system. If Democrats can't get the votes they need --or find another legislative maneuver to pass reform--it's quite possible that we'll still have the same health care system we've been complaining about for years.
At times, the health reform debate has reminded me of the noise a refrigerator makes -- after a while, you get so used to the monotonous hum in the background you automatically tune it out. If Congress doesn't pass reform now, the health care debate won't vanish. It will just keep humming in the background.
[UPDATE: The White House has starting posting the video in chunks. Part one is up, with more to follow.]
Riveting at points, boring as all hell at others, today's Health Care summit is the kind of politics we haven't seen before. The whole health care debate has been ugly, sometimes quite literally so. While there's been a fair amount of disingenuous arguments made around that table the crazy beautiful thing that happened today is this: we got to see them sit around that table.
Oh sure we've had CSPAN for ages, but can you really count footage from an empty Senate chamber as a real look at democracy? And yes, the politicians gave speeches to each other. We have to be a little patient, they're politicians after all. Anyone whose ever sat in on a high school debate tournament will recognize that the kind of person who grows up to be a politician isn't really trained to listen for anything but some leverage to use against the other guy. So it will take some time before this kind of thing produces real, rational discussion, but here's to baby steps.
Here's to America coming of age.
Previously: Still Fighting for Health Care Will Young People Get Squeezed Out of Health Care Reform? The Shocking Truth about Musicians and Health Care
By Emily Beaver
As most of us were sitting down in front of our TVs to watch the Super Bowl last weekend, President Obama announced he would hold a televised health care reform summit on February 25. The summit is aimed at bringing Democrats and Republicans back to the table to talk about health care reform. Reform has stalled since Democrats lost a Senate seat in January.
If you haven't been paying attention, it's worth tuning back into the health care debate. What Congress decides to do -- or not do -- about health care will have a big affect on young adults, who are more likely to be uninsured than any other age group.
Aaron Smith, a Georgetown University law student and one of the founders of Young Invincibles, the youth advocacy group that's worked to get young people involved in the health care reform debate, says it's been challenging to keep young people engaged during the long debate. Smith says he thinks young people are looking for a signal that Congress is going to move forward with reform.
Krisja Hendricks, a 28-year-old New Yorker, says she hopes members of Congress will be able to "put politics aside and focus on helping people get affordable health insurance."
Hendricks, who has struggled to get health insurance after suffering chronic illnesses, has been speaking out about health care reform since Rock the Vote asked its members to submit personal stories about health care last year. In October, she spoke in support of extending dependent health insurance coverage--the length of time young adults can stay insured under their parents' health plans--at a press conference held by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
