This story originally aired on NPR's Morning Edition, March 24, 2010

President Obama signed the health care overhaul bill into law yesterday. Still, some health organizations want more to be done to provide care to uninsured Americans including the American Dental Association. They opposed the bill because it didn't increase funding for dental services paid by Medicaid. And that, the ADA says, won't help the millions of Americans without dental insurance. Youth Radio's Jennifer Obakhume visits one family dealing with that reality.

Cesscia Rojo and her sister Adriana are young and healthy, except they have dental issues. Major ones. Cesscia says, when they needed care, they used to go to Tijuana, Mexico.

“I went to Tijuana and that’s where they started the root canal. When I came back, all the problems started with the drugs dealers, so I wasn’t going back to TJ anytime soon.”

Both sisters have tried to get dental care in the U-S. Adriana used a free clinic in Southern California to have a broken tooth pulled. But she needs more dental work.

“I still have a hole in my mouth. It hurts sometimes if I chew bread cuz it goes in there and it hurts, but other than that it’s good.”

The sisters live at a home with their parents. Cesscia says they enjoy cooking dinner together every night.

"See really you know, Mexican culture, we, they hold on to us until we’re married. And we’re not married, and we’re here until we finish school. And then we’ll take them in. And we’re just going to stay together."

By: Emily Beaver

The House of Representative passed a health care reform bill Sunday, delivering on President Obama's promise of change.

After months of debate, argument, and just plain bickering about health care, the House passed a health care reform bill by a vote of 219-212. Only Democrats supported the bill, which will extend health insurance to millions of people and will provide new protections for people who already have insurance. The vote was historic -- if it becomes a law, it would require almost all Americans to have insurance for the first time. The vote was also exciting -- one of those rare times when watching Congress work felt more like witnessing history than watching sausage being made.

"This isn't radical reform, but it is major reform," Obama said at a press conference after the vote. "This is what change looks like."

What the House passed on Sunday was just one piece of health care reform bill, called the reconciliation bill. Next, Obama will sign the health care reform bill the Senate passed in December. On Tuesday, the Senate will have to pass the reconciliation bill before health care reform becomes law.

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.

By: Emily Beaver

After Massachusetts voters elected Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts to the Senate Tuesday, members of Congress immediately starting talking about what to do about health reform.

"Scaling back", "paring down", and "stripping down" are some of the phrases being used to describe how health care reform might change since the Democrats lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. It sounds more like going on a diet than changing public policy -- but what politicians are really talking about cutting out are reforms that would help everyone get health insurance. And with young adults making up a disproportionate share of the uninsured population, many young people wouldn't receive any benefits from a "scaled back" health reform package.

So what does Tuesday's election mean? Some politicians read the election as a sign the public is more concerned about jobs than health care. Some are saying the public just doesn't support or understand the health care reform plans Democrats originally proposed. Others say Massachusetts voters, who already have a statewide universal health insurance program, don't want to help other states that haven't provided insurance to all residents.

By: Emily Beaver

Members of Congress have been arguing about health care reform for months, but now the pressure is really on.

What's happening with reform

The Senate passed its health care reform bill on Christmas Eve and the House of Representatives passed its own bill in October. Now, leaders from the House and the Senate are scrambling to combine the two different bills into one health care reform bill -- which both the House and Senate will have to vote on again.

So what's the rush? Congress can pass health care reform at any time, but Democrats are concerned about an election happening in Massachusetts today. Voters will elect a new senator to replace the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Democrat who died in August 2009. If a Republican wins the election, Democrats will no longer have 60 votes in the Senate -- which Senate Democrats need to pass the bill. (And members of Congress need to address other issues, like jobs and the economy.)

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.

By: Emily Beaver

Forget town hall. The battle over health care reform is now happening on Facebook.

Last week, a group backed by the health insurance industry got some bad press when the Business Insider reported that the group was offering Facebook gamers "virtual cash" to send e-mails to their Congressional representatives opposing health care reform.

Get Health Reform Right, a group made up associations that support the health insurance industry, was offering "virtual currency" people can use to play Facebook games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille. But to get the money, players had to fill out a survey about health care reform. Completing the survey generated an automatic e-mail, which was sent to the player's Congressional representative, saying "I am concerned a new government plan could cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today. More government bureaucracy will only create more problems, not solve the ones we have."

Critics say this amounts to virtual "astroturfing," a nickname for creating political support artificially. Supporters of health care reform have fired back, placing ads of Facebook saying health insurers are bribing gamers to claim they oppose health reform.

By: Emily Beaver

Today, abortion-rights groups across the country are lobbying against the Stupak amendment, the controversial amendment in the House of Representative's health reform bill that bans federal spending on abortion coverage.

Groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America are holding a lobby day in Washington, D.C., as part of a national "week of action." Hundreds of abortion-rights advocates are expected to gather on Capitol Hill to rally against the amendment, which would prohibit the Medicaid program from covering abortions and would prohibit women who receive government subsidies from buying health plans that cover abortion from a health insurance exchange.

In San Francisco, several reproductive health advocacy groups are planning a rally against the Stupak amendment at noon today at San Francisco City Hall. Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, NARAL Pro-Choice California, and other groups want California's senators to oppose the ban on abortion coverage in health reform. The advocates plan to speak about the importance of passing health reform legislation that inculdes coverage for abortion services.

Previously:

• Abortion and the Health Care Debate
• Old vs. Young -- the Health Care Tug-Of-War
• Ten Health Care Terms You Need to Know

By: Emily Beaver

Last weekend, the House of Representatives passed its version of health care reform, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, or H.R. 3962. The bill is almost 2,000 pages long. Haven't read it yet? Here are a few parts of the bill that could have a big impact on young people.

The Individual Mandate
Under H.R. 3962, everyone would be required to have health insurance, a policy known as an "individual mandate." This could be a big change for people ages 19-29, who are less likely to have health insurance than other age groups. However, the bill doesn't just require everyone to get insurance -- it aims to make getting insurance easier. Allowing more people to be insured through the Medicaid program, letting young people stayed insured under their parents' plans until age 27, and creating an exchange where individuals could buy health insurance are a few strategies to help more people get insured. Anyone who doesn't have insurance would be fined up to 2.5 percent of their income.

Staying Insured Under a Parent's Plan
The House bill would allow children to stay insured under their parents' private health insurance plans until age 27. This change could occur as soon as January 2010, unlike other parts of health care reform that wouldn't go into effect until 2013, Rodgers says. Since some states allow insurance companies to to drop young people from their parents' health plans once they reach their late teens or early twenties, this change could help more young people keep their health insurance.

By: Emily Beaver

If you've been skipping dentist visits to save some cash, you're not alone.

Recent surveys say that many Americans, even ones who have dental insurance, skipped dental care in 2009 to save money. And people who don't have dental insurance, which is usually sold separately from health insurance, are even more likely to skip dentist visits.

Young adults, in general, are less likely to have health insurance than older adults or children. Many aren't offered health or dental insurance benefits at work -- and even when they are offered dental insurance, some young people choose to skip the extra expense of dental insurance. The Affordable Health Care for America Act, the health care reform bill U.S. House of Representatives passed Saturday, requires everyone to have health insurance, but it doesn't require everyone to have dental insurance.

"People are more likely to spend money on health insurance and skip over dental insurance," says Keith Mendonsa, consumer expert at eHealthInsurance, a company that lets people search for and purchase individual health and dental insurance plans.