Sarah McMasters

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When an Apple a Day Isn't Enough: Students Speak Out About Health Coverage
To generate awareness among America's youth about the importance of health care coverage, Families USA [1] and the Campaign for Children's Health Care [2] sponsored a national essay contest for youth between the ages of 9-18. More than 4,500 students submitted stories nationwide, and one winner was chosen from each state. The essay below by Sarah McMasters and the other winning essays highlight the importance of SCHIP and all were written by youth who directly benefited from the program.

I know what it is like to live without health insurance and how dangerous it is. My cousin, Ryan, does not have health insurance. He is on Medicaid which helps but does not give him every benefit he needs. When Ryan was born he was diagnosed with transposition of the greater veins. That means that the blood was not being circulated correctly. The doctors operated on him immediately. During the operation one of Ryan's lungs collapsed. The doctors did save him but he had to have a tube inserted into his trachea and a feeding tube put into his stomach. My uncle was working at a restaurant when Ryan was born. After the restaurant management found out that his son's health costs would be outrageous, my uncle was fired. My uncle and aunt were able to find health insurance away from the restaurant but they could find none for Ryan since his health costs would be thousands of dollars a year. Everyday Ryan had special treatments needing to be done so he had a nurse with him at all times. They had to hire three nurses. One stayed for the morning and afternoon. Another one stayed until midnight. Then a third would come in and stay until dawn. He went to school and these nurses had to accompany him.

It is very difficult for my aunt and uncle to pay for everything. They have to pay for the treatments, the oxygen, and the around the clock care that Ryan requires. They have to go to annual checkups which add a lot of money to his bill.

Several years later, Ryan got the tube in his trachea removed. He then received an oxygen tank that would assist his breathing. After a while, he started to dwindle down the number of times he needed to use the oxygen tube daily and now, at the age of ten, he does not require it at all. He is beginning to eat on his own and they do not require nurses anymore. When Ryan had his first operation, the doctors assumed that he probably would not survive. He is a miracle child. The first operation was successful and so was every operation after that. When other kids were learning to talk, he was learning hand signs. He had to get glasses at the age of two along with hearing aids. His motor skills were not the greatest and he remained in kindergarten for a while. Now he is ten years old and is a third grader at his elementary school in West Virginia. He is getting great grades and talks non-stop. He is enrolled in a karate class and is currently an orange belt. The doctors are completely astounded by his recovery. Without health insurance it was questionable whether or not he would survive. Luckily, the state offered him Medicaid and that saved his life.

I have witnessed the affects of not having health care and how they can ruin your life. Ryan lived at the hospital for the first year of his life. He probably should have stayed longer but Medicaid decided that he was well enough to go home. In the time period after he got home he flew to the hospital in a life flight helicopter three times. He did not get all the care that he deserved at home but without health insurance they couldn't afford to take him back to the hospital.

If you don't have health insurance the results can be deadly. Many children with diseases and disabilities, like Ryan, are left without it. Those families cannot afford to give their children the health care they deserve because of the costs of health insurance. Many of these children do not have health care and many of them grow up in an environment that is not very suited for them. Health insurance affects everyone. Not having it could be detrimental to you or someone near you.