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by Alice Good Hours before President Obama's health care address to Congress Sept. 9, Young Democrats at the University of Nevada, Reno held a rally to call attention to students' vulnerability as one of the largest uninsured groups in the nation. "About 30 percent of young people, ages 19 to 24, don't have health insurance," said Sheila Leslie, rally keynote speaker and former chair of the Nevada Assembly's Health and Human Services Committee "Furthermore," Assemblywoman Leslie said to the students, "Those of you who have access to health care on campus will lose it when you graduate. You are the future of this country, and we owe it to you to have affordable, quality health care." Political Science student Ann Newsome was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a year ago. Without insurance, she works two jobs to pay for her doctor visits and medications. When she graduates, she has no hope for future insurance coverage because of her pre-existing condition. "I've been told by the medical community that they've never seen a diabetic accepted for insurance," said Newsome, a 20-year-old student senator from the College of Liberal Arts. "If students don't stand up for the right to universal coverage, we will be left behind," Newsome said. "A lot of students are very stressed out about this issue, and we need to mobilize because we're the ones who will have to pay for this in the future if we don't have reform." Other speakers urging support for the President's health care reform were: David Bobzien, Nevada State Assemblyman; Adam Allen, student and member of the UNR Young Democrats of Nevada; Gracie Geremia, Speaker of the Student Senate; Teresa Navarro, State Director of Health Care for America Now; Matt McKnight, Northern Nevada Political Director, Friends for Harry Reid; and Dave Osolnick, Nevada Deputy Field Director, Organizing for America. |
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UNR Young Dems Rally to Support Reformposted Sep 10, 2009 4:31 PM by Amy Curtis-Webber |