“I can’t go to a doctor, it’s too expensive,” my friend told me when I told him he needed stitches. This friend got deeply cut at work but also couldn’t afford to take the worker’s compensation. He works full-time, and not working means no food. Going to a doctor, even with health insurance, could mean late rent.
During our time at Cal Poly, students are lucky to have access to free medical care on campus, but once we graduate, we no longer have that.
Post-graduation, my friend’s reality becomes the reality for a lot of people in Gen-Z; we are getting entry-level jobs with high living costs. The rate of our earnings isn’t matching the rate of inflation. Parents of Gen-Z children lack experience graduating into a world like this, so we aren’t learning from their experiences or getting advice from them.
In the United States, health insurance is necessary for getting quality medical care, but the average cost of health insurance is $6,720 annually, according to ValuePenguin. The national average college graduate salary is $50,000 to $60,000 annually, according to ThinkImpact. Paying in full for health insurance in America — while healthcare is a right in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and France — takes a month and a half of work.
This makes the seemingly most benign of issues — catching a cold, per say — feel like the end of the world. Getting sick and properly taking care of yourself for the first couple years post-grad is the equivalent to hemorrhaging money.
Missing a week of work to recover would cost the average young adult about $1,145, plus the cost to buy any food or medicine needed and go to the doctor. This is why members of Gen Z – like my friend – can’t afford to get injured or sick.
Catching a cold is relatively inexpensive compared to the numerous health problems people can contract, and it is being shown throughout America that the financial burden of being a human being is taking a toll on its citizens.
According to Health System Tracker, the United States has the lowest life expectancy out of all of the world’s developed nations. This is especially difficult for younger people in the population who haven’t been given the opportunity to live in a time where wages matched the standard of living, and therefore, could save money for emergencies. Daily necessities, such as paying rent, eating and paying off student loans, now make everyday feel like an emergency.
Graduating college means sacrificing a lot: a community, a sense of security, financial aid and resources. Being able to afford to stay healthy is not something college graduates should also have to give up.