Rob Sturges, a Syracuse University graduate student, does not have health insurance, so he didn’t go to see a doctor after he broke his finger last year.
“You know it hurt for a while. But I didn’t know if it was serious even to go see a doctor. I don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars just to get a quick check up and be told you just need to ice it.” (Rob Sturges, Syracuse student)
Sturges is one of 45 million Americans without health insurance. He is one of the examples why health care is a top concern for voters in the election this year.
John Holahan is an expert in health care politics at the Urban Institute, a think tank in Washington. D.C. Holahan paints a picture of health care’s role in the upcoming election.
“Even if you still have health insurance it’s likely that benefits are being cut. Deductibles are going up. The amount the employee is expected to pay for an employer’s plan is going up. People feel threatened.” (John Holahan, Urban Institute)
Think about these statistics from The Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health care issues.
- 25 percent of Americans continue to struggle to pay health care.
- 15 percent are uninsured — that’s 1 in 6 Americans.
- In New York alone, 13 percent are uninsured, according to the U.S. census.
- 30 percent of Americans overall believe that lack of insurance is a serious problem.
In the presidential campaign, Republican candidate John McCain proposes to give everyone a $2,500 tax credit to buy health insurance.
Democrat Barack Obama calls for creating a form of Medicare-like coverage for more Americans. Medicare is the tax-supported health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.
For details of their plans and comparisons, go to this Web site: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Comparisons
In Syracuse, graduate student Sturges now has insurance through the university. And that’s a relief.
“Insurance, it is just peace of mind. It’s one less thing I have to worry about.” (Rob Sturges, Syracuse graduate student)
Remember, the election is November 4th.
For Democracywise I’m Jeremy Lamb.
(Jeremy Lamb is a graduate student in broadcast journalism.)
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