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No where to turn

Posted by: Erin Kelly on Oct 01, 2009

Battling H1N1 is scary. Just ask CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who came down with the flu while in Afghanistan last week. Dr. Gupta received the appropriate treatment, but some people aren't so lucky. Some people either don't have access to health care, or simply can't afford the costs associated with seeing a doctor. And that's when H1N1 gets really scary.

Kimberly Young, a recent college graduate, is one of many Americans who put off going to the doctor because it's too expensive. Young died last week after she delayed getting treatment for H1N1 symptoms because she was worried about how much a visit to the doctor would cost.

When she became very sick, she finally sought care, but it was about two weeks after her symptoms first began and her body was too weak to fight the virus by then.

Her former roommate noted,

That's the most tragic part about it. If she had insurance, she would have gone to the doctor.

Young is one of many Americans who fall through the cracks. Since she recently graduated from college, she was no longer covered under her parents' insurance. She worked two jobs to make ends meet, but still couldn't afford to purchase coverage.

As a Families USA report has previously mentioned, of the 1 in 3 Americans who were uninsured from 2007-2008, 80% come from working families.

Hard-working, tax-paying American citizens put their health in jeopardy every day because of the rising costs of health care. As Congress moves closer to passing a bill that will provide coverage to Americans who desperately need it, legislators should keep people like Kimberly Young in mind.

Ironically, as The Wonk Room points out, Kimberley lived in John Boehner's district. Rep. Boehner has been extremely outspoken about his opposition to the proposed health reform bills. Victor Zapanta notes,

Even though Boehner represents a large university, he has been an outspoken opponent of a public option that would make insurance cheaper and more accessible to recent graduates like Young. On Meet the Press last week, the Minority Leader continued to stick to the obstructionist Frank Luntz-endorsed talking points, dismissing the public option as "big government" while defending a watered-down plan.

It's time to pass comprehensive reform that won't leave people like Kimberley Young with nowhere to turn when they get sick.