FLORIDA (Sun-Sentinel.com) - Evol Higgins, 28, can't wait to vote in the presidential election in November.
She says this country is ready for change, and she's eager to see reform in one of the areas most important to her:
The nation's health care system.
As a freelance Web designer, she isn't covered by company health insurance, and her salary isn't enough to pay for an individual plan. Yet, in the past year, she has spent more than $2,000 on two emergency room visits and $1,500 on a root canal.
"It will affect my vote, most definitely," she said of the national debate on health care coverage and costs. "I'm supposed to be on medication right now, but I can't afford it."
According to one recent poll of voters 18 to 29 by American University students, health care ranks as the age group's third most pressing concern, surpassed only by the economy and Iraq.
Statistics from a 2007 census report show Americans ages 18 to 34 have the lowest rates of insurance in the country, with one of every three uninsured.
Presidential candidates know this and are reaching out to young voters.
Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are advocating broader health care coverage.
Clinton's plan would mandate coverage for all Americans.
Obama's would require coverage only for children. Obama promises to allow young adults to stay on their parents' insurance until age 25.
Clinton recently co-sponsored legislation that would allow ill college students to take a year off from school without fear of losing coverage. Many plans now require full-time college attendance to remain on a parent's insurance.
Republican Sen. John McCain does not support universal health care. Instead, he would offer individuals $2,500 tax credit to help pay for their own health coverage. Such a measure could help young people who frequently switch jobs.
Some young adults in South Florida look at such campaign promises with hope, others with cynicism, as they prepare to cast their votes this November.
Here are some of their views:
College student can't afford health insurance
Name: Aruna Khan, 19, of West Palm Beach
Problem: Khan said she supports herself and can't afford even low-cost health insurance. She is a full-time pre-med student at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and works part time at a nursing home for $9 an hour. When she broke a toe last year, she decided to endure the pain rather than pay $1,300 to see an orthopedist to have her foot put in a cast. Months later, she still cannot straighten her toe, she said.
Political views: Khan prefers Sen. Hillary Clinton's health care plan because she thinks it will better guarantee that all Americans get health insurance.
In her own words: "It is quite ironic [I can't afford insurance]. One of my reasons to go into medicine is because I know a lot of people who are uninsured and I want to help."
Future machinist thinks universal care will hurt working class
Name: Daniel Black, 20, of Coral Springs
Problem: Black worries that a universal care system would increase bureaucracy, raising taxes that working-class people would have to pay. A student at Atlantic Technical Center in Coconut Creek, Black thinks that after graduation he will operate powerful machinery to drill, press and mill objects for manufacturing, a type of work with a high risk of on-the-job accidents. He expects his future job to provide health coverage.
Political views: He plans to vote for Sen. John McCain, in part because he does not like the health plans of Sens. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
In his own words: "Universal health care seems socialist. If someone needed something extreme, he'd be put on a waiting list and probably die."
Freelancer's job has no health benefits
Name: Evol Higgins, 28, of Plantation
Problem: Higgins' work as a freelance Web designer doesn't provide health insurance, and her pay is sporadic, adding up to about $18,000 a year. She has thought about buying insurance, but she's worried she couldn't make the payments and would fall into debt. Only weeks ago, she landed in the emergency room after she had an allergic reaction to seafood and vomited so violently she cracked a rib. The stay cost her $1,500. She is supposed to take medication for the rib, but she has decided to endure the pain rather than spend money on pills.
Political views: Higgins favors Sen. Barack Obama's health care plan. She likes its provision that would allow young people to stay on their parents' plans longer and thinks Obama would be best able to make his plan a reality. A native of the British Virgin Islands, she grew up with socialized medicine. She doesn't want that system but said there has to be a compromise between providing quality care and ensuring affordable prices.
In her own words: "I remember going to school as a kid and every two months, there would be a bus that would pick us up and go to the dentist for free."
Insured, but medical bills in thousands
Name: David Pfeffer, 31, of Margate
Problem: Pfeffer, who is studying for a master's degree at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, bought a low-cost insurance plan, but he said the company has fought him at every step. The insurer has refused to pay thousands of dollars in medical bills related to his asthma, he said. Fearing more refusals to pay, he has delayed going to see a cardiologist that his primary doctor recommended.
Political views: Pfeffer supports universal health care and thinks the political will to pass such legislation is at an all-time high among people of various ideologies. He fondly recalls being a college student in Britain for two years and getting quality health care.
In his own words: "I know if I got off the plane in England, I'd be covered. But here, I have to fight for it. We're the richest country in the world, and I have to choose between medication and eating."
Business owner with illness worried about being denied coverage
Name: Brian Brunette, 31, of Miami
Problem: Brunette became seriously ill with gastrointestinal problems after quitting his job and starting his own custom furniture and woodworking company. Luckily, he had temporary insurance that covered almost $70,000 in hospital bills. But he worries that once the insurance expires in the fall, no company will cover him because of his past illness.
Political views: Brunette, who considers himself an independent voter, said he is too busy running his business to pay attention to politics. He doubts any of the candidates' proposals will help by the time his insurance expires in the fall. He is torn on universal health care — he likes the concept but worries it will end up costing too much. He is leaning toward voting for Sen. Hillary Clinton. He doesn't plan to vote for Sen. John McCain, but Brunette agrees with him that frivolous lawsuits are increasing health care costs and should be stopped.
In his own words: "In other countries with nationwide health care, like Switzerland or France, you pay 50 percent taxes. One way or another, you're still going to pay for it. But something needs to be done."
As published on Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/sfl-flbhealthprofiles0519sbmay19,0,3579522.story
