If you are under 21 today, you have a 50% chance of losing your health care coverage in the next decade.
Health care coverage matters. It matters to the country, to progressives, to feminists, but especially to young people. We're the least likely to be covered, and the most likely to end up changing the course of our lives because of health care related debt. This is serious folks.
We need to do something, because our chance at real health care reform that could free our generation from the chains of shitty health care coverage we can only get at certain places of employment is quickly slipping away.
Now is the time Feministing. Now is the time.
One way we can have an impact on this debate is telling our stories--explaining why health care matters to us. If you're in college, you might feel sheltered by your parent's insurance, or your student coverage. If things don't change, the health care coverage you have now might be the best health care coverage you ever have.
Your story is getting lost in the shouting and political posturing. But it's these stories that can make the difference in how health care is covered in the national media and how politicians will vote. Through MyRapidReport.com, Feministing has joined with journalism outlets and other organizations concerned about the future of health care with the intent of zooming out of the same old debate and bringing in real health care stories of real people.
It's easy to become a Feministing citizen journalist! You've got three simple options. You can do one or all!
1) Videotape the proceedings of a health care town hall - try to interview speakers or other attendees.
2) Conduct interviews around your community and gather personal healthcare stories. We've even provided some helpful starting questions for you.
3) Tell your own personal healthcare story.
Upload your captured video by going to MyRapidReport.com and click UPLOAD VIDEO. It's just that simple.
So what will happen with your stories? Like YouTube, they will be open for the public to view. But you will also have a captured audience of reporters, editors, organizers and more who will be combing over these stories during the next month. Your videos will help identify the needs and hopes of everyday citizens around the future of our healthcare as they continue to monitor, report and organize around this critical issue.
If you upload your story, let us know about it and we'll use feature those back here at Feministing. You can also write about why health care matters on the community blog.
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At this point, I honestly have no idea how anyone can disagree with the public option. Pure evil, I suppose. Or utter, willful ignorance. Both of those probably.
Don't you know that providing health care to all is SOCIALISM and therefore EVIL and WRONG. After all, everyone without insurance is lazy, stupid or an illegal alien. No one ever loses insurance due to lay-offs or because their new job offers no benefits or because their job only gives them 39 hours of work a week, keeping them in part-time status. /sarcasm
That is what a fair portion of the population thinks. Methinks they watch too much FOX news. And they obviously don't know what socialism really means.
Joan
I'm actually currently dealing with a health care crisis. I'm diabetic and NEED constant health care coverage. I just lost my Medicaid (don't even get me started about how my mom asked if I'd lose my coverage after turning 21 and they denied and denied it and THEN I lost it). I'm currently without coverage and racing to get myself covered again. This is the most scared, most stressed I've ever been in my life. I practically stressed myself out of my period last week which has NEVER happened. I would happily tell me story to whoever needs to hear it. My mom has stories upon stories of difficulties with dealing with our health insurance and as I'm striking out on my own, I'm already getting shit on.
Add me to the list of the recently uninsured. Just turned 23, still in school, and got booted from my parents insurance. Its been 2 weeks and I'm already struggling with headaches and neckpain since I can't afford chiropractic treatment, and I have no clue what im going to do about birth control.
I voted for Ralph Nadir. The current B.S. floating through congress is a big fat kick back to the Insurance mafia. And even though I haven’t had health insurance in almost twenty years I don’t want it. I will have to decide between :food, rent and insurance even thought I will likely not need it .I am not a car nor does the law require me to drive one but telling me to pay the folks who live far better then I more then ten percent of my income really makes me sick.
Do what Ralph said slowly lower the age at which we can collect Medicare it’s lest expensive but it won’t pay back the lobby that got Obama into office. He’d rather screw over the lower class that by all accounts is only harmed by the Massachusetts plan.