Doctors for America Race for Coverage - Health Care Enrollment

[Donald Nguyen]

Hello to Friends, colleagues, and Ohio DFA family:

Some of you may know me well, and some of you may have no idea who I am! My name is Jessica Stephens and I am a 4th year medical student at Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Over the past few years I have become very involved in healthcare policy, specifically in a group called Doctors for America. It is a pro-Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) group that fights for changes to decrease the uninsured and increase affordability in healthcare. As a future physician (in fact only 9 months away, yikes!) I am very passionate about finding a solution to our healthcare crisis, and while I don't feel the ACA is perfect, I do feel it's a huge step in the right direction.

Currently, Doctors For America is getting ready for October 1st. What is October 1st you say? Well, it's the day the exchanges roll out. If you don't know, exchanges are the new insurance marketplace for individuals to all buy into one big pool for the right coverage plan for them. They are mostly individualized to each state, with national minimum requirements for plans. When these roll out on the 1st, 32 MILLION people will be suddenly eligible for affordable healthcare, many of them for the first time. Unfortunately, 78% of these people don't even know this is happening. And that is bad news.

Even as a medical student I've seen how devastating it can be to not have insurance and come to the hospital, especially as a trauma. It bankrupts the individual, changing their life forever, and increases costs to everyone in the healthcare system. As a doctor I hope to give quality care to those who need it, and getting everyone covered is a great way to start my years as a physician.

In order to help support DFA, I'm running 2 half marathons and a 5K over the next three months. The 5K is the doggy halloween 5K, yes there will be doggy costumes, if that in any way encourages donations. I really need your support in helping me reach my $1500 goal. Every $5 I make will fund enough education/training to get 1 more person enrolled. With your help, I can continue to make America the kind of place I'm proud to practice medicine. Even $5 makes a difference, so please go to my fundraising page today, and help me help the (not for long) uninsured!!

Thank you so much for your time,

Jessica Stephens, MSIV

Doctors for America

jlste...@mac.com
Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University