All MIT graduate workers know that the cost of living in the Boston/Cambridge area is exorbitant. Now, imagine being hit with a surprise $6,000 medical bill — this is the nightmarish reality for some graduate workers at MIT.
Despite MIT’s extreme wealth, many of its graduate workers with chronic health needs do not receive affordable care with the currently-offered student insurance; moreover, relief funds meant to help with unexpected medical costs are poorly publicized and can be denied on arbitrary technicalities to the graduate workers who need them most. To secure comprehensive healthcare coverage and to make sure that every graduate worker can afford to receive the healthcare they need, we must come together to form a union.