Monday, November 18, 2013

ACA HEALTH CARE - Personal Stories, Aaron Macholl-Stanley

"In some states, more poor Americans get health care under expanded Medicaid" PBS Newshour 11/15/2013

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  For all of the problems with the rollout of the health insurance program, one part of that effort seems to be going better is the expansion of Medicaid, health care for the poor.

Nearly 400,000 additional Americans have learned that they are now eligible to enroll.

And that brings us to our series of personal stories of health reform.  Tonight, we hear from a young man in California who is in the process of newly enrolling in Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that's known there as Medi-Cal.

WOMAN:  I'm going to scrape that out.  Don't you dare put water in there.  Oh, you snot.

AARON MACHOLL-STANLEY, college student:  My name is Aaron Macholl-Stanley.  I'm 25 years old.  I currently live at home with my mother.  I am just finishing up a second year at San Francisco City College culinary arts program.

Cooking has always just been one of the things that I have enjoyed.  I actually started working at the Common Wealth Cafe and Public House in Oakland, where I am dishwashing, prep cook, and line cook.

The employer doesn't provide any sort of health insurance, despite being an awesome place to work and a really friendly environment.  At my school, we have a health fee that covers limited medical responses.  Like, if I have cut myself, they will give me a Band-Aid.  I still need insurance so that I can get a prescription if I get sick.

I don't have any preexisting conditions or health issues constantly, other than maybe the occasional cat allergy, but I'm much more likely to burn myself or cut myself, and constantly around fire and sharp objects.

And I believe that having health insurance is definitely a necessity in this industry.

No comments: