I’m a first-generation student attending Lehman College. Many of my family members have health conditions where health insurance is vital for their survival. In the United States, there are constant debates about the health care system. The private sector has taken hold of health care in the United States. Corporations have abused the American people, overcharging them for life-saving treatment, medication, and medical supplies. While this happens, American people fight about our deficit.

The United States owes around 31 trillion dollars. Funnily enough, the vast majority of the debt is to itself. The American government has decided to take a hands-off approach to health care. While the health care system crumbles at the hands of the private sector, the government insists that we increase our dependence on these corporations. Health insurance is essential for our survival. We must not negotiate our survival with corporate interest. My family, like many others, struggled through 2020. Health insurance was a vital resource for our family. The process of getting health insurance was bureaucratic. Even though we had health insurance, we still had to pay a lot of money.

I believe that the American people must fight for a health care system that isn’t for-profit but that prioritizes human health. I firmly believe that adopting a single-payer health care system is an initial step we can take to mitigate the abuse committed by corporations in America. In addition, this would allow the government to negotiate the cost of medicine with pharmaceutical corporations. I urge all New Yorkers to call their local representatives and demand that they support the New York Health Act.– The New York Health Act removes commercial insurance and replaces it with a single-payer system.

Victor Vasquez Breton is a junior at Lehman College and in the process of completing his Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. Born in the Dominican Republic, he was brought to the United States when he was six years old. Victor currently volunteers at the Coalition of Concerned Legal Professionals (CCLP), a volunteer-led organization that helps people get free legal aid. Victor is interested in studying the relationship between psychology and political science. He hopes to gain an understanding of the factors that influence voting patterns. Through the Young Advocates Program, he wishes to learn the process of policymaking. He hopes that the program will guide him in his journey of becoming an advocate for the working class.