®!'j j o r t h u i h © b s m ie r CAREERS EDUCATION
Page A4
November 21, 2007
O pinion
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
End Financial Aid
Penalty for Marijuana
Law unjust for
disadvantaged
in Ji hgk G keg M athis
In 1998, Congress passed the
Drug Provision of the Higher Edu­
cation Act, a law that prevented
individuals convicted of drug of­
fenses from receiving federal finan­
cial aid for college.
The law extended to those con­
victed of marijuana-related o f­
fenses, no matter how small the
amount and didn't make a distinc­
tion between those who use drugs
and those who sell drugs.
The Act was later amended to
extend to students convicted of
drug-related offenses, again, no
matter how minor, while receiving
federal aid. Since the bill passed,
thousands of people - most of them
black or brown and poor - have
been denied the money they need
to attend college and change the
direction of their future.
It is time this law was amended,
making room for minor drug offend­
ers to receive federal financial aid.
With America moving away from a
blue-collar economy, acollege edu­
cation is becoming increasingly
critical.
Denying low-level drug offend­
ers, many of whom would benefit
from drug counseling, a chance to
advance themselves intellectually
and economically will only serve to
increase the education and wealth
gap in this country.
Drug offenders, before they even
decide they want to go college and
apply for financial aid, have already
paid for their crime: in the courts.
They’ve performed their commu­
nity service, paid their fines or served
out their probations. In many cases
these offenses are misdemeanors.
If the courts view these offenses
as minor, it stands to reason that
the h ig h er edu catio n system
should as well.
This law disproportionately
affects people of color and poor
people. Rich kids caught with
drugs d o n 't need aid to attend
college. Their parents can sim ­
ply foot the bill. Poor people
caught with drugs either have to
give up their college dream s al­
together or work while attend­
ing college, impeding their stud­
ies.
People of color, black males in
particular, are in small numbers on
college cam puses around this
country.
This law only serves to re­
duce that population. It also
serves to increase the nation’s
prison population, already the
highest in the world. If drug
offenders aren 't provided with
o p p o rtu n itie s to o b ta in the
know ledge needed to com pete
in to d ay ’s w orkforce, many will
have no choice but to resort to
crim e, making the streets more
dangerous and increasing the
burden on taxpayers.
This country has a duty to en­
sure that anyone who is willing
and able to attend college has the
opportunity. Financial aid to col­
lege students is supposed to be
part of our promise to open up
doors for those in need. It was not
intended to be used as a punish­
ment and shouldn't be used as
such.
Judge Greg Mathis is chair­
man o f the Rainbow PUSH-Excel
Hoard and a national board m em ­
ber o f the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
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Keeping a Child Healthy Shouldn’t be this Hard
Make
enrollment
automatic
by
M arian W right E delman
Children get sick. Parents
expect it and hope they never
get anything more than a cold, but
they want to be prepared for the
worst. Part of that preparation is
making sure their children have
health insurance.
Millions of low- and moderate-
income familiescan’t afford private
insurance and are eligible for Med­
icaid or the State Children's Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP). But
either they are unaware o f this or
the application process is so com­
plicated that it takes many months
or longer for a child to be covered.
Sadly, long delays in getting
health coverage are common. That’s
why the Children's Defense Fund is
seeking this year to blend the two
programs and make enrollment au­
tomatic.
Unless there's a change, more
families will experience the same
nightm art as the Uhr family.
Richard Uhr, a retired AT & T
em ployee in H ouston, T exas,
worked for a full year to get his
grandson’s SCHIP coverage re­
newed. Richard's son. Robert Sr.,
contracted meningitis at six months
old and is deaf and cannot speak.
His only means of communica­
tion is through a teletype machine
or computer, which makes it diffi­
Chiropractic Auto Injury Clinic, PC
cult to deal with an
agency. He worked
long en ough to
qualify for Social
Security disability
insurance and has
a disability pen­
sion.
T he
fam ily
learned that Robert
Jr., his 11-year-old son, was eligible
for half of his father's Social Secu­
rity benefits and Medicaid health
coverage as well. Things went well
until a cost-of-living increase put
a copy of the original. That was
returned with a request for addi­
tional information.
Over the course of a year, Rich­
ard received 18 letters requesting
different—and often conflicting-
m issin g in fo rm a tio n on his
grandson'supplication. Names and
case num bers w ere incorrect,
records were lost and the family
continued to be asked to submit
information already had been pro­
vided.
None of Richard Uhr’s attempts
to communicate withSCHlPadmin-
Wheri you register your children
fo r school, parents ’ incomes are
provided, and on that basis, eligible
students are enrolled in the school
lunch program. Inclusion in health
care should be that simple..
R o b ert S r .’s incom e ab ove
M edicaid's eligibility limits. The
family was informed that young
Robert's health coverage would be
transferred to SCHIP. There were
no problems until his coverage came
up for renewal.
The extensive six-month renewal
form and supporting documents
were too difficult for Robert Sr. to
manage so Richard Uhr stepped in.
The renewal application was
submitted. After a long wait, the
Uhr received a letter that Robert Jr.,
was going to be disenrolled from
SCHIP. Richard Uhr was concerned
because he knew he had applied for
renewal. He called to learn of the
status of the renewal form and faxed
istrators yielded satisfactory re­
sults. He finally was connected with
a supervisor who w asn't able to
find the application in the computer
system or even find Robert Uhr Jr’s
account number. So Richard was
instructed to go back to square one
and reapply.
Richard Uhr appealed to the
Children's Defense Fund office in
Houston for help, and Robert Jr.’s
appl ication for health coverage was
ultimately renewed.
This is just one example of why
the majority of A m erica's nine mil­
lion uninsured chi Idren are eligible
but not enrolled in federally sup-
ported health insurance programs.
Richard notes that in Texas, when
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you register your children for
school, parents’ incomes are pro­
vided, and on that basis, eligible
students are enrolled in the school-
lunch program. Inclusion in health
care should be that simple. The All
Healthy Children's Act (H.R. 1688)
would make child-health coverage
that easy.
Passage would guarantee health
and mental healthcare for all children
and pregnant women in America
now. Children currently enrolled in
Medicaid, SCHIP and other means-
tested federal programs like school
lunch and food stamps would be
enrol led automatical ly.
The process of getting unin­
sured children enrolled—and keep­
ing them co v ered —w ould be
streamlined.
In the interim. Richard Uhr says,
“ I'm concerned about the millions
o f other children who may not have
a relative with the persistence,
stamina and communication skills
that I happen to have. Some just
give up.”
Children’s access to health care
in America should not depend on
geography. Why should a child in
one state have fewer benefits than
a child in another state?
Why should children of differ­
ent ages in the same family have
different benefits?
It is not the child's fault that the
parents cannot afford private in­
surance.
Every child in the United States
deserves a healthy start in life and
the right to reach adulthood, re­
gardless of where they live.
Marian Wright Edelman is Presi­
dent o f the C hildren's Defense
Fund.
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