As many of you know, I am a healthcare administration major here at Stonehill. For those of you who wonder what healthcare administration IS, I typically explain it as “the business of healthcare.” Don’t ask me what to do if you have a broken finger… because that’s not what I study. I learn about insurance, access/quality/cost, Obamacare, economics, finance, management, policy, organizational structures, etc. As someone with a chronic illness, studying such things can be fascinating. On one hand, it feels awesome knowing what goes on beyond the doctors office. It feels great knowing how policies will affect me and the rest of the country (without the propaganda from political endorsements and the media). I love being able to see the world of the U.S. Healthcare system from the eyes of someone who lives and breathes it. That being said, it can be tough sometimes to study Healthcare as a BUSINESS when I am the patient. It is almost scary to think that prices can be put on lives, that those who can afford more are healthier (statistically), and that often times the interest of the economy and business are weighed more heavily than whether or not one single person lives.

This semester, I am taking 3 healthcare classes as well as sign language (which is a healthcare elective). So each day, I’m forced to take these difficult lessons into consideration. My favorite class this semester is Healthcare Economics. For two reasons 1) My teacher is smart and unbiased and makes me THINK every class and 2) It challenges me (and sometimes not in a good way). Each class I internally struggle with the fact that healthcare (something that literally has kept me alive as much as the air I breathe does) may not be as perfect as I always thought. The first class, when talking about why people oppose universal healthcare a kid raised his hand and said “because why should I pay for someone else to get sick?” Of course, I cannot blame this comment… it is something that many, many people think every single day. Because, I agree, many of the top killers in this country can be prevented. Obesity causes heart disease and diabetes. Smoking causes lung cancer. Drunk driving can cause severe accidents resulting in lots of medical care. And yes, I agree that people who don’t take care of themselves maybe could have been a little more considerate to their bodies and that awareness for prevention should be spread. However, I ALWAYS think of those people as humans. I think of what I put my own body through when I wasn’t compliant with my medications. I think of those people as my family members. The other thought that crossed my mind when I heard this was… “What about me?” What about all of those people who didn’t ask to get sick. What about women who utilize the healthcare system to have babies and to keep their children healthy? What about family risk factors? What about the extra healthy athlete who gets a concussion, or has a heart attack? The bottom line is, ANYONE could get sick, and as someone who has been “sick” her whole life…. I think I am more accepting of that than most. Its a hard line to draw between those who “choose” to take the risk of getting sick, and those who don’t have a choice.
I am not trying to start a political debate here, I am just discussing the internal struggle I have when learning about these things. As someone with CF, it’s hard for me to NOT be biased. However, I am so thankful that studying healthcare has been able to show me the other side. I’ve seen the statistics of people over-utilizing healthcare, of procedures that are unnecessary, of people using the ER as their primary care doctor, and of over spending. I understand that “Obamacare” isn’t perfect. In fact, as much as it supports people with CF, I know that our healthcare system isn’t ready for it. But I also understand how completely messed up our healthcare system is. I cannot believe that people can go bankrupt when they get sick. It scares me that I need to find a job with good benefits if I want to be able to afford everything I need to survive. It saddens me that if you aren’t lucky enough to be rich, you can’t afford to be healthy (because the vast majority of the issues that cause poverty are systemic rather than individual). The point is: I am able to see both sides: the side of wanting the basic right of a healthy life, and the side of what economically works for society as a whole. And I think that’s important when formulating opinions.
Basically, what I’m getting at is as someone who sees, learns, and understands the rationale behind something that I depend on so much, I am also able to have more sympathetic view. I know what it feels like to be just a number. So I try to see the people behind the statistics: the person with heart disease who couldn’t afford to eat healthy, the uninsured person who just found out they had cancer, the person who was denied coverage because he/she has a pre-existing condition, the person with CF who has to pay high premiums and deductibles because of the misfortune of her genes, the child who relies on Medicaid for healthcare services, the senior who needs the safety net of Medicare to afford care for their multiple conditions. With this upcoming election….where are all of those people I just mentioned? As one of those people, it’s scary to be just a number. 
I think the U.S. as a whole can get so frustrated with politics that they’d rather just not care. But as someone who these decisions affect, I can’t help but care. Not only that, but isn’t it important to care about how politics will affect our fellow citizens? I am so lucky to have been given the opportunity to learn as much as I can that I can make the right decision come election day. I’m not going to say what that decision is, because I think it’s important for everyone to make their own. As scandalous as this election can be, I can see the good and bad in both candidates… because I’ve slowly learned to see things from both perspectives. 
But all I ask is for you to learn the facts. 
Just because a candidate says something, don’t take it as fact. Think about the morals of what each candidate stands for. Think about the people behind the numbers. Think about what matters to you and who supports those concerns. Educate yourself beyond what the media tells you, what your friends tell you, even what your family tells you. Think about the opinions you hold and consider whether or not you have enough information to make such an opinion. And most importantly, be kind to one another. Debates are appropriate, essential, and helpful. But when we get angry and closed minded (which most likely stems from our passion), we fail to see the other side. And as someone who has had to deal with her own personal biases… being able to see the other side is of utmost importance. 
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