The Uninsured: You're in your 20s. Why should you care?

coverage on The Minnesota Independent

2008-06-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Click here to see a blog post on The Minnesota Independent - an on-line independent newspaper about this blog
http://www.minnesotaindependent.com/view/u-of-m-journalism

Soundslides link

2008-05-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a Web site for the soundslides presentation with two people who are uninsured and in their 20's.

Uninsured 20-something soundslide

Health Insurance Statistics

2008-05-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Click below to find out some interesting statistics on health insurance from across the state and country that were mentioned in class:

Health Insurance Statistics

If asked to log onto the Web site use the following info:
username: uninsured5155@hotmail.com
password: gary5155

Enjoy!

The facts and figures from Insurance agent Laurie Brockhoff

2008-05-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Community Insurance Agent, Laurie Brockhoff
Gaylord, MN

-Laurie talks about the generals of being uninsured.

-Laurie talks about hypothetical costs and insurance coverage options.

-Laurie offers advice to the young and uninsured

Not Live, But Raw: University student Karah Barr

2008-05-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

-Randi L. Niklekaj

Here's what you didn't see...

2008-05-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

If you want some extra info about visiting the doctor without health insurance, check out my interview with Dr. Vener at Sibley Medical Center in Arlington, MN

More interviews to come.
-Randi L. Niklekaj

Young, healthy, and uninsured...

2008-05-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Photo: Jessica Mann

Matt Peterson is young, healthy and, like many people in their twenties, uninsured. He works at a restaurant to pay the bills and health insurance is the last thing on his mind. “It’s mainly a subject that I never think about,” he says. “It hasn’t really been an issue so far, because I’ve never had any major illness or injury or prescriptions that I have to pay a bunch of money for or anything like that”

While his situation is fairly common, some uninsured 20-somethings struggle with their budgets in order to try and make ends meet while having some type of health insurance. Some of them worry about a potentially costly accident or illness and others are required to be insured while in school.

Photo: Jessica Mann

A junior at the University of Minnesota, Joy Petersen has been researching insurance plans for months, after no longer being covered under her parents’ plan. “As of right now, I can’t afford insurance through any company,” she says. “I don’t have enough money to pay $118 dollars a month when it means the difference between just in case you get hurt and just in case you want to eat.”

What about some Answers?

2008-05-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

We have been talking a lot about the problem of being uninsured and in your twenties, but what about some solutions to this growing problem. I was talking about this project with a co-worker who mentioned a program for young and uninsured Minnesotans. I also heard Dr. Vener mention this program in our interview.

Google: Images

Minnesota Care is a joint federal-state program that "provides subsidized health coverage to eligible Minnesotans." To qualify people must meet income limits and satisfy other requirements related to residency and lack of access to health insurance.
Children and parents, legal guardians, foster parents, or relative caretakers residing in the same household are eligible for Minnesota Care, if their total household income does not exceed 275 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

So that means, if you live with your mom and dad, you just graduated college and you no longer qualify for their plan- your total income (all three of you) would have to be less than $48,400 per year. While Minnesota Care is one option, many 20-somethings already fail to meet this first requirement...and there are more.

Google: Images

Check out the link from the Minnesota House of Representatives, Research Department about Minnesota Care.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/mncare.pdf

Below are a few links about the Minnesota Care health insurance program.

http://www.mnhealthnetwork.com/minnesota_care.htm

http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&Redirected=true&dDocName=id_006255

Hope this provides some answers.

-Randi L. Niklekaj

Best Health Plans Search - Minnesota

2008-04-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked different insurance plans on terms on customer satisfaction, the level of care they were offered when needed, and what preventative services were offered. 250 health plans were ranked from across the country. Here is how Minnesota's plans were ranked.

#38
HealthPartners (HMO/POS)Minnesota

#66
Blue Plus (HMO/POS)Minnesota

#135
Medica (HMO/POS)Minnesota

#141
Sanford Health Plan of Minnesota (HMO)Minnesota

#233
PreferredOne Community Health Plan (POS)Minnesota

http://www.usnews.com/directories/health-plans/index_html/plan_cat+commercial/state_id+MN/plan_name+/+Search/sort+rank/detail+more/page_number+1/page_size+10/+undefined

One in 5 Students Remains Uninsured, Despite Colleges' Efforts

2008-04-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

This story that ran in the Chronicle of Higher Education last month mentioned one of out five college students are uninsured across the country. Despite many colleges, like the University of Minnesota, requiring all students to have insurance, and offering them plans through the school, it's not working. Going off a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on college students and health insurance, the article states reasons why some students don't have insurance.
"Students were more likely to be uninsured if they were from low-income families, attended college part-time, or were members of minority groups" were a few reasons they stated.
The article also mentions that 1.7 million students were uninsured in 2006. Senator Edward Kennedy, chairman of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions said recently that student health care should be a major concern to people across the country.
""Students must be healthy to learn," he said.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2008/03/2308n.htm

Statistics On The Uninsured

2008-04-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

In 2006, there were 47 million Americans without insurance.

In the same year, 22,000 people aged 25-64 died because they did not have adequate health insurance.

Throughout the United State, twice as many people died from lack of health insurance as died from being murdered.

Living without insurance is the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer in elderly people.

Dying For Coverage In Minnesota. Families USA. Washington D.C., 2008. http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/dying-for-coverage/minnesota.pdf

383,000 Minnesotans do not have health insurance.

That is more than 9% of the state's population.

It would cost between $663-852 million dollars to cover all of the uninsured Minnesotans.

61% of uninsured Minnesotans have been uninsured for a year or more.

59% those uninsured in the state are eligible for public insurance programs but are not enrolled.

There are 66,000 uninsured children in Minnesota.

Yearly insurance coverage costs an average Minnesotan adult is almost $4,000.

Source: How Much Would It Cost to Cover the Uninsured in Minnesota. Minnesota Department of Health. 2006. .

84% of uninsured Minnesotans have at least one person in their family that works full or part time.

Minnesotans aged 19-26 years old make up the largest percent of the State’s uninsured with 18.7%.

About 1/3 of Hispanics in Minnesota do not have insurance.

If 100 people in Minnesota loses their job, 85 of them (including family members) also lose their health insurance.

A healthy 25 year old woman would have to pay about $1,595 a year for health insurance, averaging about 20-50% of her salary.

80% of Minnesotans living below the poverty level do not qualify for state Medicaid insurance programs.

Who's Uninsured in Minnesota and Why? Families USA. Washington D.C., 2003.

At the Hospital with Dr. Vener

2008-04-24T14:22:00.001-07:00

I interviewed Dr. Vener at the Sibley Medical Center. I also talked to an uninsured student and an insurance agent. I talked to Dr. Vener about hypothetical costs to uninsured and what he would or would not prescribe. I talked to University Student Karah Barr about being uninsured. My interview with Community Insurance Laurie Brockhoff was informational as well. See a 3 min package below.
Stay tuned for raw footage interviews...

-Randi L. Niklekaj

FYI: Attention young adults

2008-04-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

Check this site out. It is 2001 data of MN counties and uninsurance rates. Its a little old, but still important. Plus, this is important for my interview with the Sibley Medical Center in Sibley County, MN.

http://www.statecoverage.net/statereports/mn32.pdf

Also, more from Stefan at the MN Dept. of Health:

We are the right source for this information and it is indeed at our fingertips. However, the way this information is arrived at is via random probability survey. What that means is, similar to polling, you draw are representative sample and based on this derive an estimate. Because the survey was designed to produce statewide estimates, we only have sufficient sample for certain populous counties to generate statistically reliable estimates - Sibley County is not one of those.

Perhaps this helps: Sibley County is located in the South Central Minnesota region, for which we estimate an uninsurance rate in 2007 of 7 percent. This is statistically not different from the statewide rate of 7.2 percent. Again,we can't produce a rate that is specific for young adults. However, you may remember that the statewide estimate for uninsured young adults (18 to 24-year-olds) is 18.7 percent.

Stefan Gildemeister
Assistant Director, Health Economics Program Division of Health Policy
Minnesota Department of Health

-Randi L. Niklekaj

2007 Wallstreet Journal Article

2008-04-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

I was researching information about uninsurance rates in Minnesota when I cam across this 2007 article in The Wall Street Journal:

Who Pays for Health Insurance?

By CLARK HAVIGHURST and BARAK RICHMAN September 6, 2007

New census data showing that the number of Americans without health insurance increased by 2.2 million in the past year (to 47 million) undoubtedly deserves the attention it is getting. But the increasing size of the uninsured population is only a symptom of deeper problems in American health care, not the problem itself. Indeed, concern for the uninsured obscures the plight of middle- and lower-income workers who do have health coverage but pay dearly for it.

In many cases, those who drop their health coverage do so for rational reasons. They apparently prefer to run some financial and health risks rather than pay for insurance that now costs the average family $12,000 annually. The American health-care system resembles all too closely an extortion scheme that forces individuals to either pay a very high price or put their families' health in danger. It is not surprising that many working Americans are deciding not to take it anymore.

Ironically, many more Americans would probably drop their health coverage if they knew how much it really costs them. But they don't know, because of the way the tax system treats health benefits. Under the current system, employers are the principal purchasers of health insurance, and workers seldom know how much their employers pay. They also don't realize what economists have repeatedly concluded: Employer outlays for health insurance translate directly into less take-home pay for employees.

Because the tax system has induced workers to believe that someone else was paying the bills for their care, they have pushed for better health benefits regardless of cost. Benefits have thus become more comprehensive and expensive than makes economic sense for most working families. Likewise, because voters haven't fully understood who pays for health care, they have supported laws and regulations that strongly reflect the values and interests of the health-care industry and its most affluent customers. Consequently, unlike ordinary consumer products, health coverage does not come in a range of models suited to different pocketbooks.

Weak consumer cost-consciousness has left the U.S. with private insurance that functions as a reverse Robin Hood scheme, taking from middle-income Americans to support a health system that benefits many elite interests. A significant fraction of the cost individuals incur for health coverage goes not to pay for care they and their families receive, but to support a variety of industry activities and projects, including medical education and research and the building of costly facilities. Even assuming the industry pursues only socially worthwhile goals, its otherwise uncompensated efforts should be financed by a fair system of taxation. At present, many such costs fall on premium payers like a regressive "head tax" rather than in proportion to their income or ability to pay.

Evidence also suggests that many benefits of health insurance, though paid for equally by everyone, flow disproportionately to the affluent. For example, cost-sharing requirements deter lower-income individuals from using their coverage more than they deter wealthy ones. The latter also know how to manipulate the system to obtain more and better services at plan expense. Legal mandates requiring insurers to cover such services as mental-health care and fertility treatment make available, at collective expense, benefits that the affluent are much more likely to use.
Particularly in view of the widening income gap between middle- and high-income earners, serious attention should be given to how the health-care system takes lots of money from the working class without giving them commensurate value for much of it. One does not have to be a populist to see the unfairness (as well as the tendency to increase the uninsured population) of forcing workers to pay unjustifiably high prices as a condition of being insured at all.

A good way to prepare the public for needed health reforms would be to expose consumers to the true cost of health insurance. President George W. Bush's pending proposal to tax the value of employees' health benefits as income, while also providing a compensating standard deduction or tax credit, would serve the useful purpose of stimulating market and political demand for low-cost alternatives, including coverage that stops short of paying for everything seemingly mandated by professional (that is, non-economic) standards.
Congress is making a mistake in ignoring the president's proposal. If voters realized that it is not only the uninsured whom the current system victimizes, would-be reformers of all stripes might finally find a broad constituency willing to support fundamental change.

Messrs. Havighurst and Richman are professors at Duke Law School.

I am not sure our health care system and insurance system works for anybody...-Randi L. Niklekaj

Stefan Gildemeister, State Health Economist

2008-04-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you don't have insurance- What happens?

Advocacy vs. Research in the Minnesota Department of Health.

The state of Minnesota's Health System. Our Future and what you can do right NOW to help your self.

Stefan Gildemeister, State Health Economist

2008-04-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

What are the patterns of the young and uninsured?

Stefan talks about the major problems with young adults and not being insured. The state of transition, low income and little or no benefits create the perfect storm for people in the 20s. What are your choices and priorities?

What happens when you delay care? Stefan answers questions about what happens in an emergency situation, costs, problems and procedures.

Stefan Gildemeister, State Health Economist

2008-04-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

I went to the Minnesota Department of Health to talk to Stefan Gildemeister. He had some intersting facts and figures about Minnesota's uninsured. Randi L. Niklekaj

The 2007 College Student Health Survey

2008-04-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

Among the individuals from 14 Minnesota colleges and universities who participated in the 2007 College Student Health Survey (conducted each year by Boynton Health Service), 13.9 percent report they are uninsured or do not know if they are insured.

These rates tend to be lower than the uninsured rates among all 18- to 24- year-old Minnesotans. Because many insurance plans allow dependents under the age of 25 to remain eligible for coverage while attending a postsecondary institution, this may be a factor in the lower rates reported by survey respondents. In addition, the lower rates may reflect students’ access to health insurance offered through the institution they are attending.

Students attending the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (UMTC) report an overall uninsured rate of 14.6 percnet. Males tend to have a higher uninsured rate compared to females (17.6 percent vs. 12.6 percent, respectively). International students report an uninsured rate of 54.6 percent.

University of Minnesota–Twin Cities students ages 25-29 report the highest uninsured rate. The lowest uninsured rates are among UMTC students ages 18-19 and 20-24. This may be a reflection of parental health insurance coverage for students ages 18-24.

Health insurance coverage appears to have an impact on whether UMTC students obtained routine medical examinations within the past 12 months. Uninsured male and female students had slightly lower rates of obtaining a routine medical examination than insured students.

Insured students at UMTC obtain immunizations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningitis at higher rates than uninsured students at the university. However, insured and uninsured students at UMTC receive influenza immunizations at the same rate.

-Jessica

International Student Insurance

2008-04-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Think starting college is difficult? Imagine starting college in another country! When international students come to the U one of the hurdles they have to clear is to understand the U.S. health system. The University’s policy that all students have health insurance crosses international borders.

All University students, U.S. citizens or otherwise, must have health insurance to register for courses. Boynton Health Service’s website for International student insurance states “Healthcare in the United States is complicated and very expensive - one illness can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and financially devastate you and your family.”
International students can waive University Insurance as long as they have health insurance from an American country or if they have a different plan offered by the University, the Graduate Assistant Insurance Plan.

There is a lot of paperwork to go through as an international student and health insurance is no exception. International student have to bring documentation of their insurance to Boynton before the first week of class is completed or else the student will be charged for University Insurance.

International students are eligible for insurance as long as all of their paperwork is processed by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). Insurance coverage that is offered by the University to international students is the same as that offered to students from the U.S. as is the price. Insurance for an entire semester costs $782.00. Insurance coverage for spouses and dependents of international students cost the same amount as well.

However, there are a few differences in the health insurance plans between international and U.S. students. One feature is “New! Accidental death benefit of $10,000 US dollars for international students and scholars.” Also, all international students are covered by MEDEX, a worldwide medical plan that helps citizens of other countries in the event of serious medical emergencies. Here is a list of services provided by MEDEX from the Boynton website.

• 24-hour worldwide medical referrals

• Evaluation and monitoring of treatment

• Medical evacuations and repatriation of mortal remains

• Assistance with the coordination of on-going rehabilitation after an evacuation

• Coordination of emergency medical, vaccine and blood transfers

• Help with replacing lost or stolen medication and/or medical supplies

• Verification of insurance coverage to facilitate hospital admission
• Assistance with lost or stolen travel documents (i.e. passport)

• Emergency language interpretation services

• Emergency cash advance

• Referrals to translators, interpreters and legal resources

• Emergency message transmittals

• Return of children and traveling companion

• Emergency family-travel arrangement

MEDEX services are also available to U.S. students traveling abroad through a University of Minnesota program. And in my opinion, I wonder why these services have to be unique to international students in this country and abroad. It seems like some of the services that MEDEX provides should be provided by insurance to American students as well. If I was in an emergency medical situation, I would definitely appreciate family-travel arrangements, an emergency cash advance or referrals to legal resources. Its true that all of these services would benefit international students much more- especially if there was a language barrier. But if it is feasible for insurance policies to cover international students in this way, wouldn’t they be able to expand it to all of the other students as well- especially for students who move out of state. I think it would be valid for the University to consider expanding some of these services to all U students.

- Alex Harkness

Graduating without Insurance: A Troubling Trend

2008-03-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

18-29 year olds are the most uninsured part of the population in Minnesota. While some undergraduates may still be covered on their parents’ health plans (some plans cover students up to age 25 if they’re enrolled in school), the lack of health insurance among young people who are not in school or are recent graduates is a troubling trend

“People think they’re invulnerable. Students say they can’t afford it but by not having insurance they could end up in bankruptcy,” says Ed Ehlinger, director of Boynton Health Services at the University of Minnesota. Uninsured young people aren’t able to take advantage of the preventive services that are available to those with health insurance, he says. As a result, what may have been easily treatable health problems can develop into emergency situations.

Some insurance companies have tried to adapt to the needs of recent graduates. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s “Simply Blue” is an example of this. “They’re marketing this plan around the state,” Ehlinger says. “Students have been a large part of developing this idea for a low-cost plan. Other insurance companies are doing it too.”

Ehlinger views the uninsured young population as one symptom of a more general problem with health care coverage nationwide. He is an advocate of a universal, single-payer system. “A national problem requires a national solution,” he says. “Everyone else has some sort of national health insurance.”

-Jessica

That's Why They Call It An Emergency

2008-03-07T11:59:00.001-08:00

Without insurance, people have more to worry about than covering a co-pay or a deductible. They have to pay for all of their procedures, tests, drugs and physician fees. If someone without insurance needs a procedure done, they now have a few online resources that may help them choose where to have that procedure done. I searched around the web for comparison sites, found a few, but the one that was the most comprehensive and user-friendly is Vimo.com (http://www.vimo.com/)

At Vimo.com patients can search for prices by procedure (even with or without complications), by hospital, doctor, and can also find competitive prices for drugs, dental work, and quotes for personal/group medical insurance or health savings account. Not only that, but they have an informational subset to their site where people can inform themselves on health care issues.

I decided to take Vimo.com for a test run. I wanted to find the facts for what an uninsured 20-something would pay if they had to have an emergency appendectomy. Mayo Clinic’s website says that appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix; the appendix often becomes infected and requires surgery. Before or during surgery an appendix may burst and cause peritonitis, a serious infection. Vimo.com allows patients to get price estimates for surgeries that have no complications, mild complications or serious complications. I searched for a surgery with no complications and here are the results:

Average price for an appendectomy nationwide: $18,500
Number of hospitals in this average: 2,063

Spectrum Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan offers the lowest cost on average for an appendectomy at $7,800.

Spectrum Health performs about 14 procedures a year.

However, if the doctor at Spectrum Health found it difficult to diagnose the patient’s condition AND there were surgery complications during the appendectomy the total cost would skyrocket- it would cost about $24,800.

Now lets compare that to if the uninsured patient went Fairview University Medical Center, the ER of choice for many students at the University of Minnesota.

At Fairview, a patient can expect to pay about $18,000 for a general appendectomy and $38,200 for an appendectomy with a tough appendicitis diagnosis and surgical complications.

There is no reasoning for the price variations and Vimo.com didn’t break down what is included in the price they quote. Does it include anesthesia, doctor’s fee, Emergency room costs, antibiotics, pain medications? That is something that I, as a patient, would want to know before I gave the estimates any more credibility.

Of course, I wanted to see who was behind Vimo.com. Here is their “About Us” segment from their website.

“[Vimo.com was] Founded in 2005 by Internet industry veterans from WebMD and Valicert, Vimo is funded by Bessemer Venture Partners, Trinity Ventures, and Partech International. Vimo operates out of headquarters in Mountain View, California.”

I found that Bessemer Venture Partners has a hand in Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Restore Medical, Endonetics, Circe BioMedical, Epic Therapeutics and CHD Meridian Healthcare among others. Unsure, but this may cause some conflict of interest issues.

Vimo.com could be used as a good tool for patients to gauge medical costs but should not be used as a definitive decision making tool . Still it is very important that uninsured people at any age understand how expensive an emergency medical procedure can be- and that’s why they are emergencies- unplanned and unfunded. Could you imagine spending somewhere behind $8,000-$38,000 tomorrow?

- Alex Harkness

Mike Huckabee's Health Care Ideas

2008-03-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

Huckabee also takes a very different approach to health care. He argues the private sector should compete and bring down the cost of care. He disagrees with universal health care, though he concedes the current health care system is broken. He does argue for consumer-based health care rather than the focus on employer:

"The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system. We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict. We do need to get serious about preventive health care. I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs.

I value the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.
When I'm President, Americans will have more control of their health care options, not less.
As President, I will work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers, and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system.
Our health care system is making our businesses non-competitive in the global economy. It is time to recognize that jobs don't need health care, people do, and move from employer-based to consumer-based health care."

See the link at the right for more information.
-Randi

John McCain's Health Care Plan

2008-03-04T12:29:00.001-08:00

McCain has strikingly different view than both Obama and Clinton. He focuses more on making insurance affordable to everyone (isn't that what we are supposedly doing now?). He also emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility to one's own health, as well as promotion of competition among insurers to make health coverage affordable. He believes the fundamental problem with the American Health Care system has much more to do with the "rapidly rising cost of U.S. health care."

"John McCain is willing to address the fundamental problem: the rapidly rising cost of U.S. health care. Bringing costs under control is the only way to stop the erosion of affordable health insurance, save Medicare and Medicaid, protect private health benefits for retirees, and allow our companies to effectively compete around the world.

Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over their care. We can improve health and spend less, while promoting competition on the cost and quality of care, taking better care of our citizens with chronic illness, and promoting prevention that will keep millions of others from ever developing deadly and debilitating disease.
While we reform the system and maintain quality, we can and must provide access to health care for all our citizens - whether temporarily or chronically uninsured, whether living in rural areas with limited services, or whether residing in inner cities where access to physicians is often limited.

John McCain believes that insurance reforms should increase the variety and affordability of insurance coverage available to American families by fostering competition and innovation.
Reform the tax code to eliminate the bias toward employer-sponsored health insurance, and provide all individuals with a $2,500 tax credit ($5,000 for families) to increase incentives for insurance coverage. Individuals owning innovative multi-year policies that cost less than the full credit can deposit remainder in expanded health savings accounts.

Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines, to maximize their choices, and heighten competition for their business that will eliminate excess overhead, administrative, and excessive compensation costs from the system.

Insurance should be innovative, moving from job to home, job to job, and providing multi-year coverage. Allow individuals to get insurance through any organization or association that they choose: employers, individual purchases, churches, professional association, and so forth. These policies will be available to small businesses and the self-employed, will be portable across all jobs, and will automatically bridge the time between retirement and Medicare eligibility. These plans would have to meet rigorous standards and certification.

We must do more to take care of ourselves to prevent chronic diseases when possible, and do more to adhere to treatment after we are diagnosed with an illness. Childhood obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are all on the rise. We must again teach our children about health, nutrition and exercise - vital life information. Public health initiatives must be undertaken with all our citizens to stem the growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes, and to deter smoking."

Visit the link on the right for more information
-Randi

Karen Pollitz, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute

2008-03-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

My phone interview with Karen, the project director at Georgetown's Health Policy Institute:

Karen's contact infromation:
Karen Pollitz - M.P.P.
Project Director
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute 2233 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 525 Washington, DC 20007
pollitzk@georgetown.edu

Why should you care?
"We excel in how noninclusive our health care system is."

Karen emphasized how dangerous it is for 20-year-olds to be without health insurance. Health care in the United States is extremely expensive and even something like a broken leg, could cost you a few thousand dollars. She also said 40% of 20-somethings are uninsured and are the group most likely to be uninsured. Why? Because many of them are college graduates in a transition stage. They graduate college $40,000 + in debt and the extra cash for health insurance is defiantly last on the list. This group is no longer eligible under their parents after they graduate college.
Karen also pointed out that right now the federal government isn't doing much to address this problem, " Our Health care system is built with holes in it and we need to fix it. This is not a new problem."
This election year will be critical for that. Some individual states are addressing the problem through COBRA (a program for people who are no longer defined as dependents) or some states are extending the definition of a dependent to 25 years old up to 30 years old.
For information on Minnesota's program go to:
http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.net/
Also, go to
http://www.kff.org/uninsured/index.cfm
or health care statistics.

-Randi

Slipping through the cracks (but at what cost?)

2008-03-04T05:05:00.000-08:00

"We do have some people who are uninsured," says Ed Ehlinger, director of Boynton Health Services at the University of Minnesota.

Despite the U's best efforts to mandate that all students who take over 6 credits have health insurance, some people manage to slip through the cracks, usually by providing outdated or falsified insurance information. "Lacking insurance is a huge risk to the investments," Ehlinger says.

While the U requires health insurance, this is not necessarily common practice among colleges and universities. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), for instance, has a voluntary insurance plan. In the end, Ehlinger sees this policy as unwise. "We get better rates overall by having a mandatory insurance plan," he says. "You have to weigh individual benefits versus community benefits. It's best for the entire community because we can keep the rates low."

-Jessica

Cracks in the University Health insurance plan

2008-03-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

As it was mentioned in a previous post, all U of M students who enroll in classes must either buy the University’s health insurance, which is added to your tuition, or provide proof of insurance from another insurance company. This is done as a way to ensure all students are insured in case of an emergency. However, this is not always the case. Some students have found a way to get around paying for student insurance.
Joy and “Sue” (who both wanted to remain anonymous for fear of having the University find out) do not have any insurance. Joy, a University junior, said last year when enrolling for classes, she didn’t want to have to pay for the U insurance because the tuition was already high, so she opted to provide proof of outside insurance. She said she used an expired insurance card from her last insurance company. Joy said the University never questioned her insurance eligibility because the insurance policy was valid at one point. When asked how she feels about being uninsured, Joy said she feels lucky that she has never needed to go to the doctor in the past year for an emergency or anything. She did say however that next fall when she registers for class, she might end up buying the University insurance just in case she needs it.
“Sue” is an international student in her senior year of college at the University. She said she also used an expired insurance card when she registered for classes in the spring semester. “Sue” said that she doesn’t see the need for University insurance because she has never needed it before. She said that after college, after getting a job, she will then sign up for insurance but with tuition and other college expenses, it doesn’t seem necessary.
According to the University’s OneStop Web site, any student who is registering for six credits or more is required to have insurance and violation of this policy is against the Student Conduct Code. There is a form located in the Web site for students to fill out, which describes the process of signing up for insurance.
“Fill in the name of your insurance company, insurance company phone number, and policy number, and sign the bottom of this form. If you do not provide complete information, you will be charged for the Health Benefit Plan. You may receive a full refund by returning this information to one of the student service centers or by accessing your student record through the Web by the end of the first week of classes. *This information is subject to periodic audits. Providing inaccurate or false information may result in unexpected charges. It is also a violation of the Student Conduct Code*,” as stated on OneStop.
The Student Conduct Code lists various polices that students are required to follow and the actions taken if they are broken. These range in severity starting from a written or oral warning to Expulsion and withholding a degree.
With such a large University, it is impossible to monitor every student to make sure they have valid health insurance. How many more are out there?
-Kelly

Check This Out

2008-02-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

I thought I would attach some interesting links for you all to discover.

There was a New York Magazine feature (pretty recent, last year) about Young Invincibles. It is quite lengthy but addresses the real stories of what young people are doing to avoid going to the doctor because they don't have insurance. They also offer some links to places uninsured people can visit for a lower or reduced cost. (I am not sure that solves the problem of 20-somethings- a group often overlooked in the insurance game-being uninsured and needing medical help...but it's a step).
http://nymag.com/news/features/29723/

The CDC also released a report in March 2007 about how many Americans were uninsured between January and September 2006. Good info, kind stuff we already knew, but still.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200703.pdf
Another CDC Report
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/200703_01.pdf

Wire Tap Magazine also offers some articles and opinion pieces about uninsured youth:
http://www.wiretapmag.org/blogs//43118/
http://www.wiretapmag.org/activism/42792/
http://www.wiretapmag.org/rights/28435/

I think these articles, reports and opinions are at least worth a look. Maybe they are wrong, but they offer perspectives from different sides.

-Randi

Presidential Candidates Plans: Change....a long time coming (2)

2008-02-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

2008 Presidential Hopeful Hillary Clinton also has a new health care plan for Americans. It is similar to Obama's plan, but still I question our 20-somethings options...
On her website, she details her ideas: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/
While she promises she has the experience and strength to insure "every man, woman and child."

Hillary's American Health Choices Plan covers all Americans and improves health care by lowering costs and improving quality. It puts the consumer in the driver's seat by offering more choices and lowering costs. If you're one of the tens of million Americans without coverage or if you don't like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and that coverage will be affordable. Of course, if you like the plan you have, you can keep it.
Affordable: Unlike the current health system where insurance premiums send people into bankruptcy, the plan provides tax credits for working families to help them cover their costs. The tax credits will ensure that working families never have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for health care. Available: No discrimination. The insurance companies can't deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition. Reliable: It's portable. If you change or lose your job, you keep your health care.

If you have a plan you like, you keep it. If you want to change plans or aren't currently covered, you can choose from dozens of the same plans available to members of Congress, or you can opt into a public plan option like Medicare. And working families will get tax credits to help pay their premiums. Insurance companies won't be able to deny you coverage or drop you because their computer model says you're not worth it. They will have to offer and renew coverage to anyone who applies and pays their premium. And like other things that you buy, they will have to compete for your business based on quality and price. Families will have the security of knowing that if they become ill or lose their jobs, they won't lose their coverage.
The American Health Choices Plan gives Americans the choice to preserve their existing coverage, while offering new choices to those with insurance, to the 47 million people in the United States without insurance, and the tens of millions more at risk of losing coverage.

The Same Choice of Health Plan Options that Members of Congress Receive: Americans can keep their existing coverage or access the same menu of quality private insurance options that their Members of Congress receive through a new Health Choices Menu, established without any new bureaucracy as part of the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP). In addition to the broad array of private options that Americans can choose from, they will be offered the choice of a public plan option similar to Medicare.
A Guarantee of Quality Coverage: The new array of choices offered in the Menu will provide benefits at least as good as the typical plan offered to Members of Congress, which includes mental health parity and usually dental coverage.

Relying on consumers or the government alone to fix the system has unintended consequences, like scaled-back coverage or limited choices. This plan ensures that all who benefit from the system share in the responsibility to fix its shortcomings.
Insurance and Drug Companies: insurance companies will end discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or expectations of illness and ensure high value for every premium dollar; while drug companies will offer fair prices and accurate information.
Individuals: will be required to get and keep insurance in a system where insurance is affordable and accessible. Providers: will work collaboratively with patients and businesses to deliver high-quality, affordable care. Employers: will help financing the system; large employers will be expected to provide health insurance or contribute to the cost of coverage: small businesses will receive a tax credit to continue or begin to offer coverage. Government: will ensure that health insurance is always affordable and never a crushing burden on any family and will implement reforms to improve quality and lower cost.
Senator Clinton’s plan will:

Provide Tax Relief to Ensure Affordability: Working families will receive a refundable tax credit to help them afford high-quality health coverage.
Limit Premium Payments to a Percentage of Income: The refundable tax credit will be designed to prevent premiums from exceeding a percentage of family income, while maintaining consumer price consciousness in choosing health plans.
Strengthen Medicaid and CHIP: The Plan will fix the holes in the safety net to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive affordable, quality care.

Clinton also promises access for all, portability and strengthening medicaid like Obama. Which I have already pointed out, do not necessarily insure coverage of 20-somethings. But she differently she suggests tax credits for "working families" and premium payments matched with income. Again, I am not sure that this would cover us. What if I am not a "working family?" What if my income is more than what some would consider necessary to obtain insurance, but really it is not enough?

Clinton also says Americans can choose to have the same coverage as members of Congress enjoy, which she seems to tout as pretty good. But who can afford this coverage? She says her plan will be affordable insurance, but if that is the case, why don't we all enjoy the coverage that congressmen and women enjoy now? I don't think 20-somethings freshly graduated could afford that plan. Clinton proposes everyone must have insurance, providers must make services affordable and government must ensure that all this is being accomplished. I don't have many words for the last requirement but: yeah right. Didn't the government say Medicare and Medicaid would be regulated and all people could find a way to be covered? mmmm....?? Also, how can there be a requirement for all people to be covered, what if they cannot afford it?? THEN WHAT? Can we really rely on providers to keep services affordable? I think not. Not when drug companies and device manufactures have special interests. Not when doctors recommend unnecessary drugs, procedures, visits, etc... We cannot rely on the unreliable. Period.

-Randi

Presidential Candidates Plans: Change... a long time coming

2008-02-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

On 2008 Presidential Candidate, Barrack Obama's website, http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/
He lays out a health care plan that "bring real change.' But I am not so sure it solves the problem of uninsured 20-somethings...

Barack Obama's Plan
Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All
Obama's Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
Employer Contribution: Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.
Mandatory Coverage of Children: Obama will require that all children have health care coverage. Obama will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage, including allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.
Expansion Of Medicaid and SCHIP: Obama will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function.
Flexibility for State Plans: Due to federal inaction, some states have taken the lead in health care reform. The Obama plan builds on these efforts and does not replace what states are doing. States can continue to experiment, provided they meet the minimum standards of the national plan.

Obama's plan does attempt to change the current crisis Americans face with health care today. He does propose offering subsidies for those in financial crisis. But he does not really specify what "financial crisis" means. I know there were many times I did not qualify for scholarships or aid for college because I was "not poor enough." (kind of like the Welfare System in the U.S.: the working poor.) Obama also proposes access for all and portability. So everyone can sign up, no matter their previous life (in a word) and your coverage moves with you and your job (finally). He also wants to expand medicaid. These last options may provide some assistance for uninsured 20-somethings, but still are a bit unspecific. Plus, how will this fly for Washington? Could the insurance companies handle it? What about drug companies and more importantly, doctors? doctors had huge issues with Medicare and Medicaid... what are they going to say about this?

Still, for uninsured 20-somethings, there seems to be some options, but I am not sure it is enough to convince a 20-something who has to pay $700/mo for rent, credit card bills, phone bills, LOANS from college, electric, car payments, etc... for health insurance. Especially when they have just graduated from college. A $40,000 + principal debt can really make the hole look deep.

-Randi

U of M Student Insurance

2008-02-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the blog for Journalism 5155- Health and Medical Journalism.

We are going to be taking a look at the plight of uninsured 20-somethings. This is often a transitional time for many people; either starting/graduating college or entering the workforce full-time. With so many other life pressures, young adults often forget about health plans. A mentality of invincibility can be detrimental for this demographic. They'll often take risks but have no health insurance to cover any accidents, illnesses or necessary tests etc.

The University of Minnesota has a policy that all students must have health insurance in order to register for classes at the U. Students have the option to use their own medical plan or purchase one from the institution. To kick off our blog, let’s check out what students have to pay to get insurance from the U of M.

A basic coverage plan costs a U student $ 782.00 each semester, according to the Student Health Benefit Plan website.
(http://www.bhs.umn.edu/insurance/plan/index.htm) To qualify for U coverage, a student has to be registered for 6 or more credits. The program is run through Blue Cross/ Blue Sheild and offers students a $3 million maximum coverage limit. The student deductible is capped at $2,000.

If a student goes to Boynton Health Services on campus, they can receive a wide variety of services with no co-pay.

However, if the student needs further care they can go to a Boynton “participating provider”. Bu then the student is responsible for paying 20% of the cost. Still, the student will only be expected to pay the maximum $2,000 out of pocket, and then their health plan will pick up the rest of the cost.

All University students pay a student service fee. This fee qualifies all students for a wide variety of “free” services provided by Boynton Health Services. From their website this list includes;

-Gopher Quick Clinic
-Primary Care Clinic appointment
-Urgent Care visit
-Annual eye exam (excludes exam for contact lenses)
-Women's Clinic appointment
-Pregnancy testing and counseling
-Smoking cessation coaching
-Lab tests (excluding fertility tests and blood typing)
-X-rays and minor surgical procedures
-Sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment
-Medical Information Nurse
-Specialty Clinic visit
-HIV testing and counseling
-STI testing and treatment
-Allergy shots (does not include serum)
-Nutrition counseling
-Select health promotion activities
-Birth control classes
-Stress management workshops (Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates)
-Financial /debt management counseling (first visit)

The 2007-08 student service fee is $324.10. The fee is broken down to benefit student groups, student legal services, Boynton and more. By far, Boynton gets the biggest chunk of the fee at 108.81 per student. To find out how the student service fee breaks down go here- http://www.onestop.umn.edu/onestop/Tuition_Billing/Tuition_Rates/Student_Services_Fee.html

But wait- there’s more!

Students in health-related programs have access to a separate insurance plan. Students in Medical School, the Schools of Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy or Public Health, the programs in Clinical Laboratory Science, Mortuary Science, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Dental Hygiene or Veterinary Medicine need special health care, according to the U.

The Academic Health Center Student Health Benefit Plan website (http://www.bhs.umn.edu/insurance/ahc/faq.htm) states that:

“AHC students have demonstrated a unique and serious need for enhanced benefits to the existing University Sponsored Health Benefit Plan (SHBP). You are often at locations other than on campus and your out-of-classroom experience puts you at risk for infectious diseases such as influenza, hepatitis B, HIV, and other occupational health risks.”

This plan costs AHC students $1,008.00 per semester. Summer coverage runs about $497.00. The program is also ran through Blue Cross/ Blue Shield and offers students a $3 million maximum coverage limit. Like the basic student plan, the AHC student deductible is capped at $2,000.

The numbers I gave are for single students- the semester cost goes up if registered students would like to add a spouse or children onto their plan.

While the cost seems decent for the basic SHBP it breaks down to about $130.33 a month for students. That could take quite a chunk from a student’s budget- especially if they are paying for their tuition, rent, food etc.

That’s all for now but come back for more posts from the group and our guest bloggers!

- Alex