Rutland Herald

As a high school teacher, I know many students who do not have health insurance. Although many people in Vermont think that children are covered in Vermont, this is actually a misconception.

Doctor Dynasaur does cover many children, but it is not universal. Many families do not know about Doctor Dynasaur, do not meet income requirements, or are unwilling to pay premiums. Many children, through no fault of their own, are left without insurance, and they suffer the consequences.

One such student, who was having trouble with attendance, had been sick for two months. She hadn’t seen a doctor because of a lack of insurance and was more afraid of costs than the illness.

Her situation is more common than we’d like to think. Ill students are distracted from their studies, and they fall behind in their studies and too often become jaded with school, and sometimes even drop out.

My uncovered students see other peers receiving excellent health coverage, yet they receive none of this. Why does the student sitting next to them deserve to get good health care and they do not? It isn’t fair.

And I couldn’t agree more with them. Even small co-pays are often enough to scare young people away from going to a doctor. The current system does cover some underprivileged youth, but it is too complicated for many to access. We need a uniform system where everyone is systematically covered. I am happy to pay my share of taxes to support this system.

ERIN PIOTROWSKI

Rutland