Guest Blogger Evan Watkins Morrison’s story was highlighted this morning today in Wendell Potter’s testimony in the House hearing on affordability and the ACA. 

Over the past decade I’ve taken on a variety of different roles, as a full-time student, a community organizer, a glass studio assistant, a handyman, a short-order cook at a bowling alley, a temp at a bank, a rental property manager, and a campaign staffer. Ideally, work must be more than just “a job,” so I try my best to find work that is both fulfilling, and makes a real impact on my community. Of course, these types of positions aren’t always readily available in our current economy, so when I can’t find a position I truly love, I still work hard to make ends meet with whatever opportunities are available to me.

Of course, in order to do that, I often have to obtain my income from multiple sources, making the ability to apply for and afford insurance an even heavier burden (let alone the stress of managing my small amount of finances when tax season comes around).

And when I started working in the industrial world I realized that many employers see their staff in a certain light, one that means that health benefits are really pipe dream–or at least that was my experience. Recently, In 2003 I almost lost my thumb to a table saw on the job, and when I got the bill from the hospital I found out that this employers was not planning to pay Workers’ Comp. for my injury. Fortunately for me, and after much consternation, I was able to get my bill settled. And the only long-term impact is that have a pretty sweet scar to show off.

I really got lucky, but most people my age battling to make ends meet while staying covered are not.

No matter how upset I was with how my now past employer handled this situation, the bottom line is that access to health care coverage should be something that we all have – wherever we work. The question that continues to plague my very existence is why in 2013 aren’t all Americans able to obtain health care coverage? Why in 2013 is the ability to obtain healthcare coverage still dependent on your employment status, economic status, or even marital status? Thankfully, by 2014, changes are coming, and I know I’ll have access to subsidies and help to make health coverage a reality. The time is now: no more qualifications and no more “et ceteras”. My name is Evan Morrison, and I am 29 years old, and I can’t wait for Obamacare.