Undecided?

For those of you still undecided about your choice in this year’s presidential election, Anya (predictably) has some advice.  In many ways politics suits her.  Our six year old loves canvassing the neighborhood, talking to people, and helping others out.  In her polling of yard signs in our neighborhood Obama has the edge.  She was shocked to hear the same may not be true nationally.

This election season we’ve found that talking politics with a kindergartener is very refreshing.  On one hand she is highly impressionable- but because of her innocence and curiosity she also asks pointed, insightful questions that really make you think; such as, “Why do we like Obama?”

For Anya, the choice is clear.  When she was diagnosed with Rb we were fortunate enough to have insurance.  At the time I was a graduate student, and the most “affordable” care we could get was a high deductible plan that we purchased on the individual market.  Still, half of our annual income went towards medical treatment for two years. 

About a month before receiving the devastating news of Anya’s diagnosis, politicians in Washington made a choice that changed business as usual in the health care industry.  As a result of the Affordable Care Act, Anya cannot be denied insurance because she has a single bit of DNA that’s misspelled. 

Looking forward, Anya’s pre-existing condition guarantees a life of cancer screenings- at a minimum.  Before the Affordable Care Act, no insurance company would willingly take on this “risk” without charging crippling premiums.  At 6, 26, or 46, finding affordable health care should be reality for Anya, at least for now...    

In a perfect world, I’ll be able to stay in jobs that provide continuous health coverage for our family.  In a perfect world, Anya will grow up, fall in love, and grow old without additional cancer treatments.  In a perfect world, 3-year olds don’t have malignant, aggressive tumors growing in both their eyes. 

We don’t live in a perfect world, but this election we have a choice about the vision for the world we’d like to move towards.  We support a worldview that acknowledges the connectedness of individuals in our society and recognizes that health care should be broadly available in a nation as prosperous as ours.  We hope you share this conviction, and vote November 6.