Where Do You Stand?

Where do you stand on the issue of healthcare reform? What are your ideas and how do you stand on the creation of a universal healthcare system that mandates every citizen to obtain healthcare coverage?

Young America makes up 30% of the nation's uninsured in the country. This group is the target of a proposed system that aims to provide healthcare to those who need it but are not afforded the luxury. You are the last ones to think about being covered, but the first ones to fall victim to accidents involving drunk drivers and driver inattention (text messaging, talking on cell phones, etc). Why shouldn't your voices be heard in this matter?

Today, September 9, 2009, President Barack Obama will present a speech on Healthcare Reform to the American public. The speech is expected to address different issues pertaining to his platiform on government-regulated healthcare.

Dating back to Barack Obama's campaign of 2008, he has always maintained his ideals regarding universal healthcare in America. After over 200 days into his presidency, Obama is now presenting a "Public Option" platform that will provide insurance to all those possessing citizenship in America.

Under this proposal, those who are not insured will be mandated to obtain coverage either privately or under the government's universal umbrella. Some Americans fear that the government is making steps to become more and more intrusive and so are not inclined to support such a proposal.

Many wonder whether he will compromise with Republicans who, in majority, strongly oppose this platform. Compromising will undoubtedly upset Liberals who, in part, support the President's "public option" stance or the option to create non-profit insurance cooperatives.

Obama has expressed that he would like the "Public Option" platform to be a bi-partisan effort. However with such strong opposition from the Republican Party, Democrats believe that there is little chance of the two parties meeting each other half-way on this issue. The question will be whether the President will seek compromise or if he will place the task of creating an entire new healthcare reform system on the Democratic party leaving angry Republican nay-sayers in their wake.

As young adults who will be directly affected by such a universal reform system, the challenge is to watch this speech carefully. The charge for this generation is to pay attention and to dissect every word that will pointedly affect their immediate future. The general societal fear is that apathy and complacency is settling in over your heads.

Voting in favor of this historic presidential figure was only the beginning. Positions must be taken up in the issues that he stands for. The challenge, now, is to promote the change that America was promised, in whatever capacity that might be achieved.