First lady Michelle Obama joined Rev. Al Sharpton on his radio show, sharing the story about her daughter Sasha having meningitis when she was a baby in an effort to show listeners how important health insurance is.
When Sasha was just four-months-old, Obama recognized her need for medical attention. She called her pediatrician, described the baby’s symptoms and proceeded to take her to the hospital.
“If we hadn’t had insurance and access to a pediatrician and access to a hospital where we didn’t have to worry about the cost of care, if we had waited overnight, if we had postponed acting there’s no telling what the outcome would’ve been,” Obama said. “And that’s why for me, as a mother, I am just, you know, I just can’t put into words how important it is for every American, for every mother, for every person in this country, to have healthcare. Because you just never know what kind of curve balls life are going to throw you.”
The first lady said that “now it’s about education. It’s about outreach,” when it comes to encouraging people to enroll for health care.
She referred anyone with questions to visit healthcare.gov or call a toll free helpline at 1-800-318-2596.
Obama recognized mothers as the ones who “make the decisions about healthcare in their families,” but added that young adults must take responsibility as well.
“So young people owe it to their mothers, to give their mothers the peace of mind to know that they are insured and that they can take care of themselves if something goes wrong.”
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