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| Eric with his parents at Cabrini College Graduation May 2011: Radnor, PA |
On April 20, 2010, The Deepwater Horizon, BP’s oil rig
stationed in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded.
In its aftermath it left suffocating sludge that not only smothered the
life out of the plants and wildlife in the region, but the hopes and dreams of
the inhabitants that found their livelihoods along the gulf shores. Like the native egret that gasped for its
last breath beneath BP’s mess, the fisherman watched hopelessly as their only
ability to support their families floated away in the mucky waters. Vietnamese Americans composed 1/3-1/2 of all
fish vessel workers that navigated the gulf shores on a daily basis. The only
skill they were trained to sustain their livelihoods was now gone. Almost 2 years later, BP is back in business
while these fishermen still struggle to survive. Who is going to look out for the gulf coast
families?
In 2010 Eric was a college student at Cabrini College in
Radnor, Pennsylvania. As an optimistic
student that interned with Catholic Relief Services he understood the plight of
the underrepresented in society. Soon
after graduation in the spring of 2011, he got a job with NETWORK, an agency
that advocates for the families impacted by the oil spill along the gulf coast. On a daily basis, Eric advocates for the
fisherman, the small business owners who run hotels and restaurants in this
tourist heavy region to make sure BP reimburses them for their loss.
Youth like Eric are a valuable asset to society. What is protecting them from falling into
financial ruin like the victims in the Gulf?
Prior to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA), recent graduates would be left uninsured upon graduation. In fact, in 2009 40% of all the uninsured
came from the youth population between the ages of 18-34[1]. With half of all bankruptcies being triggered
by a costly illness[2],
this left our youth population at a high risk for starting off their lives in
financial hardship.
In 2011, Eric and his peers were the first graduating class
to be protected by a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act (PPACA) that allows young people under the age of 26 to stay on their parent’s health
insurance following college graduation until they found a job. Eric was able to remain on his parents
insurance until he began his employment with NETWORK, where he then received
his own insurance. In July 2012, when
his contract with NETWORK ends, he will be able to go back on his parent’s
insurance until he finds further employment.
By requiring insurance companies to keep young people on
their parent’s health insurance, we have seen a lot of success in filling the
gap of the uninsured. Statistics
released around the time of Eric’s graduation by the Center’s for Disease
Control have found an additional 2.5
million people now have access to healthcare that otherwise would not have had
it.[3] Over the past few decades, the rising rates
of the uninsured has been one of many contributing factors to rising healthcare
costs, this success therefore amounts to a roughly 5% decrease in the gap of
the uninsured in the US.
As of this past year, we no longer need to liken our youth
population with the egrets and fisherman who continue to struggle along the
gulf shores because of corporate irresponsibility and greed.
[1]
KCMU/Urban Institute Analysis of 2009
[2]
The Fragile
Middle Class: Americans in Debt; by
Elizabeth Warren, Harvard Law School and Smith Business Solutions
[3] Cohen RA, Martinez ME. Health insurance coverage: Early
release of estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January–March
2011. National Center for Health Statistics. September 2011
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