Aside from Friday night, Sunday morning is definitely my favorite time of the week. Just imagine: You get to wake up late, sink into the sofa with a cup of coffee and flip on the talk shows. Joined by your friends David Gregory and George Stephanopoulos, you get a nice mix of interviews and commentaries on what’s going on around the United States to start your day.
So you can probably understand my consternation Sunday when I turned on the television to see Barack Obama being interviewed on CBS and then I switched to ABC and – gasp – there he was again! As my brow furrowed in confusion, I flipped through the other big networks and I saw him again on CNN, NBC and, heck, he was even on Univision.
Seeing Obama speak on an alphabet soup’s worth of networks was surprising, of course, but what was really notable was how little of it was directed toward college students and other young adults. Without my AARP card – believe it or not, I’m not quite old enough yet – I was feeling a little neglected during the interview.
The national health care conversation seems to be focused largely on how it affects Grayed America, but that makes sense, right? After all, seniors use their health care coverage with much greater frequency than do most young adults. However, when we consider the role that college students will eventually play, it’s suddenly a lot more distressing.
Don’t forget, it’s going to be college students who bear the greatest burden from whatever reforms are ultimately enacted. Think about it: If we put together a mediocre reform package (or, as distasteful as it may be, if we maintain the status quo), it will be students who are left holding the bag once its shortcomings are realized.
As a group of 18- to 22-year-olds, we will provide more funds to whatever health care reform package is passed than any other demographic simply by virtue of the fact that we’re going to be around the longest.
It’s scary, then, to see just how disengaged college students have been in the whole debate. Sure, we’ve heard about how the plan will be funded over the next 10 years – what about the next 60? Personally, while I’m committed to the notion of universal health care, I’m not so willing to support a decade of generous universal coverage if it means the next three or four decades are spent in red ink.
The fact is this: Regardless of whatever health care reform is actually passed, we’re going to have to pay into it until we die. If we’re saddled with reforms that don’t do much to address the problems of the present system – if we continue to prescribe little preventative care, if we accept that millions of Americans should go uninsured – I suppose our generation can take solace in knowing we won’t be around for nearly as long to pay into it.
Weinberg senior Mac LeBuhn can be reached at [email protected].
