Adam Sieff, Staff Writer
Ideology: Liberal | Writing from: Columbia University

“If it is re-election that gives Congress trepidation, know this: there is a whole generation of Americans, my generation, whose votes transcend ideology, party lines, talking points and soundbites. It is a generation that simply sees problems and finds solutions. Failure to solve this problem now will betray us all, and we will remember every November for a very long time.”

There is an urgent need to pass health insurance reform this year in order to bring stability and improved care to all Americans, including young adults. With over 30 million Americans uninsured, an even larger number under-insured, and healthcare costs consuming more than 17 percent of GDP and rising, we have not only a moral obligation to reform our current system, but a dire fiscal incentive as well.

To the great surprise of many voters, young people are actually the largest demographic affected by our current health insurance system. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 30 percent of 19-24 year olds are uninsured—the single largest demographic without coverage. Many of us are too old to be covered by our parents’ plans, not yet employed by a firm that offers health insurance, or simply unable to afford quality private insurance at this point in our careers. Indeed, though we may not always admit it, we are not invincible. We get sick just like the rest of America, and increased access to preventative care for today’s youth will help to avoid serious illnesses for tomorrow’s workforce.                                                         

Young people are also the ones bound to inherit the mound of public debt generated by the current flawed system. Maintaining the status quo is not only irresponsible, but it is indeed unsustainable. In just the next ten years, the median cost for health coverage is set to double for individual subscribers. Contrary to what has been said by those seeking to poison and destroy reform at all costs, reform today will in fact save money for America’s youth, in addition to saving and improving the quality of our lives.

As President Obama stated in his address to the joint session of Congress, health insurance reform will build on what works in our health care system to improve it. It will fix what is broken, and ensure stable costs, choices and quality care. Members of Congress must not allow political gamesmanship to interfere once again with what is indeed the “greatest unfinished business of our society.”

For even if it is re-election that gives them trepidation, know this: there is a whole generation of Americans, my generation, whose votes transcend ideology, party lines, talking points and soundbites. It is a generation that simply sees problems and finds solutions. We may not be the Greatest Generation, but we just might be the most pragmatic. Failure to solve this problem now will betray us all, and we will remember every November for a very long time.

Most importantly, failing to solve this problem now will cost all Americans more blood and treasure in the years to come. Last month, a 22-year-old from Oxford, Ohio, died from swine flu because she could not afford insurance. The woman, Kimberly Young, had recently graduated from Miami University and was living in Oxford, Ohio (Minority Leader John Boehner’s congressional district). According to the Dayton Daily News, Young initially put off treatment because she was uninsured. Her conditioned worsened until she finally lost her fight. As we march onward into winter, I fear we will hear more stories like this one.

The decision to guarantee the vibrancy of America’s future has been deferred for far too long. A plan has now been laid out, and it is time for Congress to act or face the consequences.