As someone who struggled with access to health care during college, I firmly believe that health care should be treated as a public good. The last thing that college students should have to think about is whether they will be able to stay in school or pay for doctor visits and high priced medications. This is exactly the issues I faced as an undergraduate. I have good insurance these days, but it breaks my heart to think that countless Vermont students face the same problems I faced in college.
Sure, students may stay on their parents’ health insurance longer now, but that is assuming that their parents have health insurance, or adequate insurance, to offer them. The sad fact is that too many Vermonters do not have insurance or they are underinsured. That means they are unable to care for themselves and their children when they are at their most vulnerable.
This is why we have to move forward with universal health care in Vermont. We need a system that works for all of us and treats health care as a public good.