By iStock

By Ella Damdin

When’s the last time you went to the doctor? Was it managed by your parents or guardians? Well, what if you had the power to tackle that on your own, through a simple form?

Proposed by Forum Senate Minors Rights 1, this bill aims to expand minors rights to healthcare. By using forms asking about students’ mental and physical health, provided by schools, local hospitals or healthcare providers will assess the level of care and what care the minor will receive.

State and public schools will be required to provide these forms regardless of income, and if the minor doesn’t have access to healthcare, a local hospital or medical center will provide care free of charge. Parents or guardians do not need to consent or have knowledge of these forms in case of abuse. Costs will be covered by taxes and the already existing state medical budget.

Finally, this bill was proposed because almost 60% of Californian students are low income and 6.4% of minors do not receive healthcare at all. Some of them cannot access proper healthcare through their guardians. With this bill, these minors will be able to confidently tackle healthcare issues without worrying about finances, and that percentage will go down to 0.

“K-12 Education in Context.” Lao.ca.gov, lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3736.

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