EDITORIAL: On health care, students should act while they can

The health care debate continues to develop in the halls of Congress, but many students in the halls of UConn's infirmary are not aware of how this debate will affect them. Because we are all required as students to acquire health care, we often forget that, once we graduate our insurance coverage will probably disappear.

With jobs decreasing, and health insurance costs increasing, college graduates are being forced into a situation where health care is a luxury they cannot afford. This will cause young people to neglect serious physical conditions until they become emergency-room scenarios, and often result in medical bills that far exceed the income of an entry level position.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that 62 percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses. These bankruptcies affect us all, as financial meltdowns impact the whole family, and often young college grads are put in a situation where their parents are getting older but income is not rising at the same pace as costs. All of this stress about financial worries will leave a heavy psychological toll on what the insurance industry claims is their most profitable sector, the 18- to 29-year-old market.

The insurance companies have been giving young college students a very particular name: "young invincibles." We may be young, but invincible is hardly accurate. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the prevalence of health issues among young people.

"A third of 18- to 29-year-olds, a demographic the insurance industry calls 'young invincibles' are cigarette smokers. A quarter are obese, as the rates among young adults have tripled in the past three decades," the study says.

Unless we create a community where health care is taken seriously, we will continue to see families fall apart from medical bankruptcy.

The most recent plan to come out of Congress is a public option bill that allows for states to opt out. This puts the decision more directly in the hands of the states and, ultimately, the people living in each state. This recent move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid puts students in the position to be able to influence their local leaders and ensures\ that Connecticut has access to affordable health care after we leave UConn. The "young invincibles" need to approach health care reform in much the same way they should approach their health. They should deal with it now while they are still strong enough to give it a good fight, or they'll be too weak and too broke to do anything when they need it the most.