Letter to the Editor: Protect Student Health Care
2 min readBy ASHLEY BORDER and NATALIE GROSSMAN
As graduating seniors at the University of Mary Washington, we call upon our fellow graduating (and future graduating) peers to step up and support the Affordable Care Act. As we move out of our undergraduate student status and into pursuing higher education or going job hunting, we face the reality of a weakened economy and the fear of losing our newly granted and revised health care opportunities.
As of now “Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plans” have been set up to provide insurance to nearly 16 percent of uninsured young adults with a pre-existing condition. By 2014 the Affordable Care Act will prohibit insurers from refusing coverage to those that are sick or have a previous condition. Health care should work for people, not against them—especially those whose are sick and need it most.
Health and wellness should be a right not a privilege. From a student perspective it seems backwards that Governor Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli want to block an act that will help students after college while they are paying off debts and student loans and for students who chose to continue their education to become doctors, lawyers, social workers and a myriad of other jobs. In our opinion, staying on parental health insurance until we are 26 years old is relieving when facing our futures and striving for success.
Providing a continuous, affordable health care plan for students is an investing for our nation’s future. As young people, we are the future. So keep us healthy!
