A friend of mine from college joined with a group of young people to form this new campaign, Young Invincibles.
I completely agree that health care reform is imperative, especially for folks of our generation. I think the moment is now, and if we let it slip away, the consequences are going to be hard felt.
We have been called the "young invincibles" - 18 to 33 year-olds who don't worry about health care because we're young, we're healthy and we don't want to be bothered.That's wrong.
Over 13 million of us, more than any other age group, live without insurance. Millions more of us are on the verge of losing the coverage we do have.
We may feel invincible.
The facts prove we're not.
This year, over 15 thousand of us will be diagnosed with cancer. Every 12 seconds, one of us will be admitted to an emergency department for treatment of a traumatic injury. And thousands upon thousands of us will be forced to declare medical bankruptcy. This is our fight.
About the campaign:
Young Invincibles is a new group of 18 to 33 year-olds across the country who are committed to making sure young people are heard in the debate about the future of our country. Our first campaign - for comprehensive health care reform - will tell the truth about how the current system fails young people, dispel the myth that we don't care about health care, and will add our voice to the millions of Americans demanding change. You will be hearing a lot from us in the weeks and months to come.The founders of Young Invincibles are a small group of family and friends. We met each other working on the Obama campaign. We are students, activists, workers. We know how important our generation was to securing change in the 2008 election. We also know that the health care debate in America is going on right now without us. We are not being engaged. Our energy is not being tapped.
Young Invincibles wants to change that. Why? First, because young Americans, like all Americans, need health care. We need it as a safeguard today and to ensure our opportunities tomorrow. Second, because we know that mobilizing young Americans could make the difference between the passage of comprehensive health care reform or yet another failed opportunity for change. And we can't afford another failed opportunity.
Join us in our effort. It's time for young Americans to weigh in. Because no one, not even us, is invincible without health care.
You can join the campaign here, to receive updates and opportunities to get involved.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Young Invincibles: Campaign for Healthcare Reform.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/15247
This is really wonderful... I was one of those "kids" until I developed a brain tumor due to a Dr. in Oklahoma that was more concerned about me not getting pregnant (I'm pro-choice) than he was my actual health. My meds (including birth control) went unchecked. I spent 2 years sick with various illnesses and at one point they thought I had lymphoma. I had been on my mom's insurance through college but I just graduated and she just lost her job which means - no insurance. To stay on an insurance plan that won't consider what I have a pre-existing condition I have to pay $400 a month! Not to mention the medicine just for the tumor costs $100/month for four pills that are smaller than tic-tacs. I also can't find a job...
This is a very concerning reality for me and I have been working with others in Oklahoma to create a community organization to help fight this battle as well... I am so happy others feel the same!
While it's important for young people to get involved in the health care debate the Young Invincibles seem to be echoing the desires of the ruling elite. We all know reform needs to come about but instead of getting to the root of the ills of the health care industry we're allowing them to dictate what our reform will be. The truth is that without universal health care there will continue to be disparities in the health care Americans receive and the cost they will pay.