 "Photo: Sara Humm")
With all of the recent talk about a health care reform, it is easy to get confused with what is actually being talked about and how it impacts college students.
During recent debates about how to reform health care, people talk about how veterans, elderly people and children fall through the cracks. However, one group of people that fall through the cracks that do not get mentioned are the college students.
According to a study done by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, an estimated 20 percent of college students are uninsured. The college age group, 19-year-olds to 29-year-olds, is the fastest growing group of uninsured people in the nation.
Some students still are covered under their parent’s health insurance plan, however, there are many who are not. In some cases, parents do not have health insurance themselves and cannot cover their student, in other instances; students get dropped off of their parent’s health care plan when they hit a certain age, usually between 23 years-old and 25 years-old.
One of the solutions to the problem would be a health care reform that would include a public option. Franklin County Democratic Party Chairman, Caleb Correll thinks this is the best way to get people insured.
The proposal of a federally funded public option as a way that will hopefully “create more competition in the health care market, end the practices of preexisting conditions and end costly premiums,” said Correll.
On the idea of a public option, people, including college students, would be able to purchase available health care if they are unable to get private insurance through their place of work.
If there is no public option passed, “people our age would face getting out of college, and despite being educated, still not have access to health care,” Correll satated
However, not everyone agrees with the idea of a health care reform that embraces a public option. Republican Representative for the 2nd District in Kansas, Lynn Jenkins is one of those people.
Jenkins held a health care town hall meeting in Ottawa on Aug. 27 at the Franklin County Annex. At the town hall, she addressed issues from the public dealing with many aspects of health care.
Jenkins stated many times that she was in favor of a health care reform, but did not believe that a public option was the was to restructure the system.
Jenkins said she is teaming up with other Republicans to work on an alternative health care reform, she said “there is an option between total government takeover or nothing.”
“Universal doesn’t always mean government run,” Jenkins stated when talking about the health care reform. Many people are interested to see what her alternative plan for health care is, however, she has not given up many details.
“I’m not sure how universal health care would effect student services, but that would have to be looked into,” said Ottawa University school nurse, Angela Myers.
Myers said on average, she sees 10 to 15 students a day; however, lately it has been in the range of 25 students a day.
“I hear from people all the time that say they are glad the university has health services so they don’t have to go to the hospital and pay that expense,” Myers stated.
The University Health Services Clinic is free to students and faculty; the clinic can test for a variety of illnesses and can write prescriptions if the student or faculty member has specific symptoms.
The University Health Services office is located in the Mowbray Student Union and is open Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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