Life as a pre-existing condition

Unless our national healthcare policy changes, for the rest of his life two-and-a-half-year-old Wesley is going to be punished for what happened to him this year, through no fault of his own. He – and us, by extension – will not be able to make casual decisions that we would otherwise take for granted, like where we live, what jobs we take, where we travel, and what kind of risks we can take, because we now and forever will live under the specter of financial ruin on top of our concern for his health.

Wesley’s life will now be shaped by that ugly little phrase, “pre-existing condition”. Will he be able to take entrepreneurial risk – starting a business, pursuing a dream – if he has to worry about getting health insurance through an employer, which may be his only option after he’s 21? Will he have to rule out living in a place he dreams of because of the insanity of state-to-state insurance rules? Can he freely travel, knowing that medical emergency that’s “out of network” could take away his life savings in a few days?

When you vote tomorrow, please consider what it means to families, and especially to children, who can’t depend on society to provide the safety net to ensure equal access and opportunity.