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Thank you: I have never personally e-mailed an author of an article that I've read in the Houston Press, but this one took the cake because it is something that hits home for me ["Generation DIY," by John Lomax, April 16]. Thank you for shedding light on this subject. I didn't realize there were so many other young people such as myself struggling with health care and prescription costs. Our society has been so driven by money that essentials such as health care are being driven out of financial reach for many, and with the economy in a rut, things are not looking up anytime soon. Thank you, and I look forward to reading more of your articles.
Wesley Deason
Houston
Online readers weigh in:
Too expensive: Let me just clear one little thing up here.
The last time my previous employer, a small business, looked into getting us some health insurance, it would have cost us more than $200 a month — and that was if we were nondrinkers and nonsmokers and had no pre-existing conditions. I know I didn't have an extra $50-plus a week to throw down on insurance I might or might not use. I had no cable, no car (and thus no insurance or gas expenses) and a shitty little one-bedroom in a crappy part of town. And I was barely making my rent and my light bill to begin with.
So just to clarify — late teens and twenty-somethings aren't spurning health insurance because they think they don't need it. They're spurning it because they cannot afford it. Not "they cannot afford it" as in "they'll have to stop eating out / cancel their cable / buy their clothes at Wal-Mart." "They cannot afford it" as in "the money is not there."
It is a disgusting thing when people have to work two or three jobs just to be able to afford to go to the doctor. Thank God I've at least got the VA if the shit hits the fan. But if something happens to me, someone calls an ambulance and I get taken to the nearest civilian hospital, I might as well go ahead and declare bankruptcy right there.
Comment by Sara from Pasadena
Self-diagnosed: I had a rash on my back for 15 years. Three dermatologists and four doctors couldn't diagnose it. Finally I researched it on the Internet and found out I had dermatitis herpetiformis caused by celiac disease — another thing the doctors missed. It took me about 30 minutes. None of the doctors diagnosed my Sjögren's either, but a dentist did tell me he suspected it.
You have to be very proactive today, and with the Internet you stand a chance.
Comment by saa
Can't afford it: I'm a late twentysomething, and I don't have health insurance because I cannot afford it. I've never had a job that has had any kind of benefits. I need health insurance badly, but I just can't afford it. The best luck I have is that I live in NYC with tons of other poor people. You can actually go to a reputable doctor here, and they will give you a generous discount without insurance. You know why? Because they charge higher premiums to people with insurance, because they know they can get that money! No joke, I went to the doctor for a standard checkup. It would have been 400 bucks; then I told the doctor that I didn't have insurance, so he only charged me 50 for the visit for the same exact service. And those visits are still hard, even when it's only $50.
Comment by Bryan from nyc
Hey, docs: If the doctors are really that concerned about this, they should volunteer some time at a free clinic. Figure the odds.
Comment by UncleTogie from San Antonio
Hard to believe: There are many options available. You can get catastrophic insurance at a good rate that covers major illnesses or accidents, so then at least if you are in a car accident, you have coverage.
There are options — you just have to explore. There are different policies with different coverages and different premiums. I know families can have it rougher, since having a family is generally more expensive, but I wonder about the true percentage of single people between the ages of 20 and 30 who truly can't afford insurance. By "truly can't afford insurance," I mean that if they bought insurance, they'd have to forgo an essential. I'm not talking about beer money being tight; I'm talking about not being able to pay rent, food, etc.
I find it hard to believe that there are a lot of healthy, nondisabled young adults who really can't afford insurance. Yeah, if you want to be a full-time musician and you aren't famous, I can see that. But that's a lifestyle choice.
Comment by BillyDeez from Houston
Take control: As a fellow twentysomething, it saddens me that so many people in their twenties (and beyond) view insurance as a frivolity or non-necessity. I had insurance through college and grad school. When that ended, I purchased Cobra for myself. If your work does not offer benefits, ask for them. Work more hours till you meet the minimum to receive benefits at your company. Or look for another job. The larger the company, typically the lower the premium. I know at my job, our health insurance deductions are pretax, so it's not actually as large of a deduction from your paycheck as you would expect.
