Young Americans, who engaged so aggressively during the election, have recently been accused of going AWOL on the cause of health care reform. Many have asked, "Where are all the Millennials?" as elder generations are making the headlines at town hall meetings and protests.
Frankly, we're perturbed. We work everyday among young people who are starting companies, organizing movements and creating change. We know that Millennials are engaged, because we are those Millennials.
So we want to help see to it that the vast number of uninsured or under-insured 18-to-29-year-olds (the single largest group of uninsured people in the United States) has a greater voice in the conversation.
We launched Minus30 as a counterpoint to the "60-plus" groups that seem to be dominating media coverage and Congress's attention. We hope this petition will help our fellow Millennials voice their support for the broad principles of increased affordability, accessibility and equality of health care in America. Specifically, we believe any health care reform should address the following core Millennial concerns:
- Extend affordable access to the nearly half of 19-to-29-year-olds who are currently uninsured.
- Close the gap between the 75 percent of working Americans over the age of 30 who are offered health coverage through their employers, and the 50 percent of workers in the Minus30 generation who are not.
- Extend the the age until which Millennials can stay on a parent's plan to at least 26.
- End sex and social discrimination by insurance companies, and make sure that adequate reproductive and sexual coverage is available to the young people who need it most.
- Under any mandated coverage scheme, create flexible and less expensive plans emphasizing preventive care for healthy young adults
- Cap the amount insurers can charge young adults (many of us already carrying significant debt burdens) in out-of-pocket expenses each year.
Let our elected representatives know that we know how much this fight effects us, and that we're in it to win.
If you're interested in helping or learning more, please contact us at: minus.thirty@ology.com
