Times are Changing, So Should Healthcare

There is a feeling that the well of optimism which nurtured us millennials for much of our youth is drying up as housing prices fall and gas prices soar. Did I forget to mention that the polar bears are going extinct and resurgent Russia just thumbed its nose at NATO in the Republic of Georgia? Needless to say, the relative prosperity and peace that we couldn't help but take for granted seems to be more of a project than the norm these days, and the last thing we need is another major issue to add to our generation's to-do list. Unfortunately, the rising cost of healthcare is a challenge that we can literally no longer afford to ignore and this organization aims to show you why.

The statistics are compelling and from them it is clear that without profound reform, we millennials stand to suffer disproportionately from the impending healthcare crisis. The financial burden that healthcare is placing on the future of this country is evident in an unsustainable Medicare program, the fading of a once dominant American competitive advantage in the global economy and the growing inability of our healthcare system to guarantee affordable access to all Americans. With a problem as large and complex as healthcare's rising cost, it is difficult to even know where to start. Thankfully SHOUTAmerica is here to help.

But just who are we? That is a difficult question for anyone to answer, let alone a 23 year old who is technically still testing the waters of the real world. The fact is SHOUTAmerica is composed of young, concerned individuals who want to get our generation to start talking about the future of our country and our broken healthcare system. My interest in our cause runs especially deep, as when I first joined up with this organization I was one of the 47 million plus Americans without health insurance. Upon my graduation from a top 20 university, I found myself too old to remain under the insurance of my parents and too easy to ignore the gravity of not having it. It wasn't until I joined SHOUTAmerica, that the seriousness of being uninsured hit home. The sad truth was that if I were to get in an accident during my commute home from work, my car would be better protected than I was.

Through the process of helping to build SHOUTAmerica, I have come across countless stories detailing the difficulties healthcare expenses bring to bear on millions of Americans and their families. But while it is important to sympathize with their plight, we must now also turn our focus to action. Uninsured Americans are only one face of the healthcare crisis, and one symptom of the greater disease--healthcare's rising cost. The long-term interest of this country is dependent upon comprehensive healthcare reform that has remained elusive now for decades, usually dying on the table on Capitol Hill. However, the best narrative of the 2008 Presidential election is about our generation, whose refusal to be complacent has shaken electoral politics and could have the same impact on lawmakers after the election if we so choose. As always, forces will gather to defend the status quo and anyone from Old Abe to Ghandi can tell you change doesn't happen overnight. Nevertheless, they could also tell you the immensity of a problem is no excuse for inaction, so I ask you to join SHOUTAmerica to learn and share your thoughts regarding the healthcare crisis. Then perhaps we can finally put a dent in that to-do list of ours.