Health care plan meets confusion, apathy

When sophomore criminology and criminal justice major Kristen Cesario heard about President Barack Obama's rally tomorrow for health care reform, she was not only excited, but hopeful.

The health care debate hits close to home for Cesario because she is one of the estimated one-third of Americans between the ages of 18 to 26 without health insurance, according to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released in August 2007.

But her peers, she said, don't know or care much about the issue. She has high hopes that Obama's visit will inspire and energize students to fight for health care reform.

"Typically, parents get health care from their [employers], and students aren't really involved in the decision," said Cesario. "It's not an issue that most [students] really care about because they already have it."

While most students supported Obama during the election, many find it difficult to stay informed about the changing details of the plan.

"I can see how a lot of people who don't follow the news can get confused about the details of Obama's plan," said senior marketing major Caitlin Reiss. "A lot of people get their information from word of mouth, so it can get convoluted."

A Gallup poll released this week indicated 34 percent of Americans ages 18 to 34 want their representatives to vote for the health care bill, but 31 percent still say they aren't sure — landing the percent of undecided young people almost 10 percent more than all older age groups surveyed.

"I'm not currently updated about the plan in particular, but I think that the issue is really important," sophomore elementary education major Jem Ece said. "I think it's good that Obama is reaching out to [students] because we just don't know enough about the plan."

Many students are waiting to hear the particulars of the health care plan directly from Obama's speech, but some don't think it will be worth the wait.

"Personally, I'm excited that Obama's coming, but I'm too impatient to wait in line to see him," senior environmental science and policy major Andrew Stottmann said. "I think I could find out as much on the Internet or in newspapers as I would watching the speech."

Students in political groups from both sides of the spectrum have been scrambling to capitalize on the excitement that comes with the event by planning responses of their own.

Senior rhetoric and political culture major Michael Ross created the Facebook event "University of Maryland Students Against Nationalized Healthcare" yesterday morning to provide an outlet for students who do not agree with Obama's health care proposal. Group members plan to meet outside McKeldin Library on Thursday morning and walk to Comcast Center carrying protest signs.

"Students are like water, they'll take whatever path is easiest to follow, especially when they may not be particularly interested in a political issue," Ross said. "Because only one side will be presented in Obama's speech, I just want to provide a forum for students who have other opinions to have their voices heard so that one side of the debate isn't blindly followed."

According to Clyde Thompson, College Republicans vice president of public affairs and senior criminology and criminal justice, said the group is not affiliated with the protest.

"We're just going to the speech to listen," Thompson said. "We have many differences of opinion, but we're willing to be bipartisan as long as it means that we don't have to sacrifice what we believe in to do so."

Amy Hartman, the College Democrats president and a senior government and politics and women's studies major, said she's glad  Obama is speaking in front of students because she thinks the speech will inspire many of them to research the issue on their own.

"Young people seem to have this mentality like they're invincible," said Hartman. "Older people are generally more likely to get sick, so they think health care is a more pressing issue."

hemmati@umdbk.com