Public option is good for the arts

I am the mother of two children who will likely choose careers in the arts. What a thrill to see them embrace their creative spirits. Here's the problem - who will offer them health care under the current system?

The national arts coalition, Americans for the Arts, recognized this in a national statement: "Many in the cultural work force, including those in the visual and performing arts, work independently or operate in nontraditional employment relationships, leaving them locked out of group health care coverage options.

Additionally, soaring health care costs are consuming the sharply decreasing budgets of not-for-profit arts organizations that have been hit hard by today's challenging economic climate." As we approach the culmination of this national conversation about health care reform, I urge each of you to consider my children and millions of artists without insurance. A public option would allow artists, our cultural base, to have access to affordable insurance.

And, perhaps, we may invite others to pursue their dreams of careers in the arts. By offering affordable health care to the arts community, we could experience a creative resurgence. We need that now. Our country has been battered. The arts give us hope and elevate our spirits. Please support health care reform with an affordable public option.

Kerrie Rosenthal

Palatine