Health Care debate moves to the Senate

Last weekend the United States Senate opened debate on reforming the American health care system. Interestingly enough not one republican senator who has said they all favor reform, just not the reform President Obama is supporting, voted to open official discussion. They have no bill and now they have no intention on discussing the one that has come before their body.

Over the next few days and weeks the United States Senate will be working to pass health care reform. Now is not the time to take our attention away from the upper chamber. During Saturday’s cloture debate, Senator Stabenow highlighted one reason young people should be concerned with this issue: young man who paid the ultimate price for our broken system, Joe, from Okemos, Michigan. Joe was a recent graduate of dental school, between jobs after completing his residency. “He felt ill. He called his mother. She urged him to go to the doctor. But because Joe didn’t have insurance, he was worried about going to the doctor, and so he didn’t. And he continued to feel worse. His family finally got him to go agree to go to the hospital, but by then, it was too late. Joe died at age 27 of an aneurism. 27 years old. Because in America, he didn’t have insurance, and was afraid he couldn’t afford it if he went to a doctor.”

Everyday that we don’t fix our broken system 1,400 people lose their health care coverage. This is unacceptable in a civilized society like ours.

Joseph Kitchen

Executive Vice President