Too Young To Die: The Uninsured Generation

Last night, I found myself on my couch playing Tony Hawk’s Project 8, a game about extreme skateboarding. It was raining outside, so I figured, the best way to kill some time would be to send a ridiculous looking video game version of myself flying over ramps and sailing into walls, face first. This game has an interesting feature: if you have a particularly huge ‘bail’ (skater talk for falling off your skateboard), the game tells you how much your hospital bill would be… and rewards you if you get a bill over $80,000.

Now, I’m not a skateboarder or extreme sportster in any sense of the word. But I did have a bit of a scare recently: I started developing these incredibly intense headaches during strenuous activity. Almost immediately, I went to my local doctor and was told that I needed to see a neurologist. The problem is, I couldn’t afford it. Like 45 MILLION – about 1 in 8 – other Americans, I didn’t have insurance. My story is that the recession had taken its toll and my dad – who insured me – was out of a job. But the coverage was spotty my entire life: I’ve gone through about 30-40 different insurance plans, as he has changed jobs a lot over the past 20 years. This story isn’t unique: the widespread lack of affordable, reliable health coverage for the under-30 population is one of the most terrifying trends in American society that we must work diligently to reverse.

Most of the time we can’t afford it. But sometimes, like the AIDS denialism that Yolanda mentioned earlier today, we’re prone to the condition that as young people, we’re basically invincible. … Continue Reading

Posted by:

Steve Romain

Guess Who’s Making Bank On Your Bad Habits?

Now, it’s not my responsibility to tell you not to smoke.

If you’re a smoker, you should stop. But hey, I’ve done it for a few years too and I’m just managing to quit. Wouldn’t be fair for me to preach to the choir.

But here’s a bit of a WTF moment for you.

According to a study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine, health and life insurance companies have invested “at least 4.4 billion dollars in insurance company funds … in companies whose affiliates produce cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco.” Ironically enough, those same insurance companies often deny coverage for those who smoke.

I’m gonna let y’all make judgements on this one. Is this stuff ethical? Let’s hear you speak up.

Posted by:

Steve Romain