Rumeisha Bowyer and, seated, her mother Deanna Bressler-Montgomery. Photo courtesy of Deanna Bressler-Montgomery
Final Call, News Report, Charlene Muhammad, Posted: Jan 01, 2013
LOS ANGELES — Motivated, and armed with an architectural degree, Rumeisha Bowyer set out to obtain employment in her field, with health care benefits thrown in.
Two years and several full- and part-time jobs later, however, the 24-year-old is still searching for both.
“It’s very frustrating because I know I’m very, very educated but nothing’s happening at the moment,” Bowyer noted. “And health care is very important because if I get really, really sick, I won’t be able to afford my own health insurance.”
Bowyer’s mother, Deanna Bressler-Montgomery, is grateful that her daughter still has access to health care, thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), comprehensive health care reform signed into law by President Obama in March 2010. ACA will allow Bowyer to remain on her mother’s health care insurance plan until she turns 26.
Prior to the ACA, Bowyer, who is minimally obese, has asthma and eczema, would have aged out of her mother’s health insurance plan a lot sooner. Parents could only cover their children until they turned 19, unless they were disabled; or up to their 24th birthday if they were enrolled in college full time.
Read more at New America Media