San Antonio College students' network for the 2008 election
What Really Matters?
How Healthy are You?
With the 2008 election just around the corner, we should stop and think before we vote. There are various issues to be concerned with, some of which hold more importance to voters than others. However, as a voter you should stop and ask yourself, “What really matters?” Every one has there own experiences and opinion, which helps influence there answer to the question. I recently asked this question to Mrs. Veronica Martin. She is a 39 year old, lower middle class, working wife and mother of two. She is of Hispanic ethnicity and comes from a large family. She supports herself, her husband and two children working for a small company of approximately twenty-one employees. She has been with this company for well over twenty years. She started at the age of 19 after her first child was born. All these factors in her life helped influence her answer when I asked, “What really matters?”
Mrs. Martin believes “what really matters” is the availability and affordability of health care for all Americans. After sitting down with her through a very extensive and personal interview I came to the conclusion that this seemed to be the most prominent issue for her and her family.
In the past when Clinton was in office Mrs. Martin felt most comfortable and secure with the well being of herself and her family. She felt she was protected with Clinton’s health plan, CHIP. “Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides coverage to children in families with incomes too high to be eligible for Medicaid but too low to afford private health care coverage.” This is exactly where Mrs. Martin and her family fell financially. With this health care plan in position she was able to afford health care for both her children. She said, “I would have gone through the insurance of my company the previous years, but it was just too expensive.” Also beneficial to Mrs. Martin at the time of Clinton’s term he “also wanted to accelerate enrollment of uninsured children in Medicaid and CHIP, and help older Americans, workers in small businesses.” With all these solutions she felt that more health care options were made available and she was highly satisfied with her government.
However, things didn’t stay simple for long. With the current president, George W. Bush in office, her securities changed for the worst. “The Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.” This act made it very difficult for Mrs. Martin to cover her children. With the new criteria she was no longer covered through the CHIP program, and her insurance with her employer was yet still too pricey. Economic classes were now pushed to the next level.
With the new health care program in place small businesses were affected as well. Working for a small business and having a husband who was at the time self-employed didn’t help her existing situation. Not only was she concerned but, “state officials and consumer advocates express alarm. They say Mr. Bush's proposal would destabilize the insurance market, leading to higher premiums for small businesses that do not join association health plans.” With all seeming to being going down hill her situation progressed for the worst. While no longer being eligible for CHIP and not being financially stable enough to cover her family through her company or her husband’s personal business she felt she was, “damned if she did or damned if she didn’t.” And shortly after, this statement was proven to be true. Her husband developed pancreatitis and was hospitalized for two weeks. While there they also found various other medical complications, such as high sugar, fluid in the heart, spots on the lungs and possibly a case of TB (tuberculosis). Being uninsured was a major set back for her family. Not only did she not have insurance, but she was accumulating a substantial amount of medical bills, and had to pay for them solely on her own due to the fact that her husband was unable to work.
Due to all these difficulties and obstacles thrown in her way I understood why health care was her main concern. She has been through both the good and bad times of her life, and both the secure and struggled times of health care concerning her family. After sitting down and listening to her story I asked her, “If you could what would you do to help the situation.” She stated that she would make health care available and affordable to all elders over the age of fifty and to all dependents. I then asked how she would go about to make it fair and affordable to everyone. She said that she would base the affordability on a standard percent rate of yearly gross income per family or individual. This may seem unfair to those who make more money, but she said that she would take into consideration other factors such as dependents into consideration. She said while attempting to make it fair and equal she would try and set reasonable standards and criteria for all health care providers and insurance companies to ensure the safety of the Americans. She also said, “I’m not certain to how I would create and determine the standards, but I would do extensive research and have outside help before I made any drastic decisions. I would try and enforce a secure health plan like in the past with CHIP; it seemed to be popular and productive with majority of the people.”
With life, family, and other struggles Mrs. Martin hopes with the upcoming President a new available and affordable health care program is developed. Having experienced both a secure life while having Clinton in office, and a difficult struggle with the changes Bush recently made, she hopes to gain her sense of protection again. She concluded with this statement, “I am tired of playing Russian roulette with my health and the health of my family.” So if you can sympathize with her situation then maybe when you vote you while take into consideration how much “health care really matters.”
With the 2008 election just around the corner, we should stop and think before we vote. There are various issues to be concerned with, some of which hold more importance to voters than others. However, as a voter you should stop and ask yourself, “What really matters?” Every one has there own experiences and opinion, which helps influence there answer to the question. I recently asked this question to Mrs. Veronica Martin. She is a 39 year old, lower middle class, working wife and mother of two. She is of Hispanic ethnicity and comes from a large family. She supports herself, her husband and two children working for a small company of approximately twenty-one employees. She has been with this company for well over twenty years. She started at the age of 19 after her first child was born. All these factors in her life helped influence her answer when I asked, “What really matters?”
Mrs. Martin believes “what really matters” is the availability and affordability of health care for all Americans. After sitting down with her through a very extensive and personal interview I came to the conclusion that this seemed to be the most prominent issue for her and her family.
In the past when Clinton was in office Mrs. Martin felt most comfortable and secure with the well being of herself and her family. She felt she was protected with Clinton’s health plan, CHIP. “Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides coverage to children in families with incomes too high to be eligible for Medicaid but too low to afford private health care coverage.” This is exactly where Mrs. Martin and her family fell financially. With this health care plan in position she was able to afford health care for both her children. She said, “I would have gone through the insurance of my company the previous years, but it was just too expensive.” Also beneficial to Mrs. Martin at the time of Clinton’s term he “also wanted to accelerate enrollment of uninsured children in Medicaid and CHIP, and help older Americans, workers in small businesses.” With all these solutions she felt that more health care options were made available and she was highly satisfied with her government.
However, things didn’t stay simple for long. With the current president, George W. Bush in office, her securities changed for the worst. “The Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.” This act made it very difficult for Mrs. Martin to cover her children. With the new criteria she was no longer covered through the CHIP program, and her insurance with her employer was yet still too pricey. Economic classes were now pushed to the next level.
With the new health care program in place small businesses were affected as well. Working for a small business and having a husband who was at the time self-employed didn’t help her existing situation. Not only was she concerned but, “state officials and consumer advocates express alarm. They say Mr. Bush's proposal would destabilize the insurance market, leading to higher premiums for small businesses that do not join association health plans.” With all seeming to being going down hill her situation progressed for the worst. While no longer being eligible for CHIP and not being financially stable enough to cover her family through her company or her husband’s personal business she felt she was, “damned if she did or damned if she didn’t.” And shortly after, this statement was proven to be true. Her husband developed pancreatitis and was hospitalized for two weeks. While there they also found various other medical complications, such as high sugar, fluid in the heart, spots on the lungs and possibly a case of TB (tuberculosis). Being uninsured was a major set back for her family. Not only did she not have insurance, but she was accumulating a substantial amount of medical bills, and had to pay for them solely on her own due to the fact that her husband was unable to work.
Due to all these difficulties and obstacles thrown in her way I understood why health care was her main concern. She has been through both the good and bad times of her life, and both the secure and struggled times of health care concerning her family. After sitting down and listening to her story I asked her, “If you could what would you do to help the situation.” She stated that she would make health care available and affordable to all elders over the age of fifty and to all dependents. I then asked how she would go about to make it fair and affordable to everyone. She said that she would base the affordability on a standard percent rate of yearly gross income per family or individual. This may seem unfair to those who make more money, but she said that she would take into consideration other factors such as dependents into consideration. She said while attempting to make it fair and equal she would try and set reasonable standards and criteria for all health care providers and insurance companies to ensure the safety of the Americans. She also said, “I’m not certain to how I would create and determine the standards, but I would do extensive research and have outside help before I made any drastic decisions. I would try and enforce a secure health plan like in the past with CHIP; it seemed to be popular and productive with majority of the people.”
With life, family, and other struggles Mrs. Martin hopes with the upcoming President a new available and affordable health care program is developed. Having experienced both a secure life while having Clinton in office, and a difficult struggle with the changes Bush recently made, she hopes to gain her sense of protection again. She concluded with this statement, “I am tired of playing Russian roulette with my health and the health of my family.” So if you can sympathize with her situation then maybe when you vote you while take into consideration how much “health care really matters.”
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Martha L. Sandoval on -
I would have to agree with Mrs. Marattin. The most important issue for me would be health care benefits. I am a mother of two beautiful daughters and theres nothing like beeing able to take them to the hospital on a weekend that they get sick or after the doctor's office is closed and not worrying about high hospital bills. In order to qualify for medicaid, I guess both parents have to be unemployed. I have benefited from the chip program. It would be great if there would be a help for the children whose parents are working. I've yet to hear of a proposal where the working individual will get "medical insurance". Our govenment has forced some our citizens to stay unemployed to continue getting benefits and penalised the ones who do work. The insurance at some of employers are quite high. Show me a man with a great health resolution, that works all types of citizens and you will show me our next U.S president.
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Permalink Reply by K.Hagar on -
Health care is one of the most influential issues in this election for me. I fall in the same category as Mrs. Martin. My son is not covererd by CHIP because I make to much money. However, I can not afford to cover him with through my job's insurance. I beleive that health care costs needs to go down. My vote is weighted heavily on the health care policies of each candidate.
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey on
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It's incredible that with all of the issues surrounding this presidential election - the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind reforms, and even the state of the economy - that health care is the one that reveals what for many is a chronic and unarticulated fear: we are terrified of getting sick and losing everything as a result. It's a thought so overwhelming that it's difficult to admit and discuss.
In 2008, we have access to an unprecedented number of medical treaments: measles and polio were words that struck fear into people only 2 generations ago in this country (and still do in many places), and now most Americans think little about these childhood scourges, thanks to vaccines. One of the converses of all of these breakthroughs is that the price of health care is astronomical more often than not. Added to that are the sometimes-abysmal working conditions of health care professionals, the price of pharmaceuticals, an ineffective war on drugs, and a lack of attention (on everyone's part) to preventative medicine. I feel this is an issue that the next president will have incredible influence upon.
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Permalink Reply by Rachel Bowers on -
Reply #3
Health care is a big concern for alot of people. I believe there should be an affordable health program for people of all ages. There are so many people that are sick and don't have the money to go to the doctor. In my opinon it should be the governments jobs to make sure all Americans can be healthy and have health insurance to cover the whole family.
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Permalink Reply by Gopi Mehat on
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I agree with you. Our nation needs health care and we need it now. We are one of the most powerful countries in the world and have some of the best technology in our hands but we dont have universal health care. It seems like for all the things we have and all we are capable of doing, we would of had it by now.
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Permalink Reply by Laurie Lopez Coleman on
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Monique,
Thank you for your contribution to the discussion. The failure of our country to formalize policies that improve availability of affordable health care to all Americans is a national disgrace. Because the President cannot alone make inroads on this issue, we also have to expect more from Congress. Let's hope that more Americans speak out by contacting their representatives in the coming months as we ride the tide of political change this year's election brings.
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Permalink Reply by Jasmine on -
I also agree that healthcare is a big issue in the upcoming election. It is not an issue that I personally have but it is an issue that a lot of my friends and family have to deal with. Plus I know that when I decide to have a family on my own I don't the fact that I feel I won't be able to afford healthcare to be one of the reasons I am afraid to have a family. I also know now that if I were to get sick now or something neither i or my family would be able to afford the medical bills and that's a scary thought.
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