WISPIRG In The News

WISPIRG’s ‘Health Care Extravaganza’ draws 10 student orgs, numerous students

^{BOBBY BREITENBACH/Herald photo}

University of Wisconsin students joined U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Thursday to rally support for health care reform that includes a government insurance program and provides broad coverage for college students and recent graduates.

Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group hosted the Health Care Reform Extravaganza, drawing 10 student organizations and many UW students concerned with what they see as inadequate health care coverage for students through the country’s current employer-based health care system.

The rally aimed to raise awareness of health care issues students will face after graduation and garner student support for the health care reform bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives Saturday.

“[Health care reform] has come further than it ever has before, which gives me great hope that we can get the job done,” Baldwin said. “It won’t be finishing the job, but it will be an important, important start.”

The bill passed in the House would set up an insurance exchange program, which would allow patients to choose a health care plan that meets their medical and budgetary needs. One of the more controversial measures within the insurance exchange program is a public option, which would allow recipients to choose a government plan instead of private plans.

Among the bill’s other provisions is one that would allow students to remain on their parents’ health care plans until the age of 27, and another provision would prevent insurers from rejecting patients with preexisting medical conditions.

WISPIRG Chair Scott Thompson said he thinks the bill is “pretty strong” and said he hopes the rally involves students in the health care debate.

“Students have really been left out of the discussion,” Thompson said. “People have been talking about money, they’ve been talking about government takeovers, but the discussion of students really hasn’t come into play.”

Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services, said she thinks the general public assumes college students are young, healthy, well covered and wealthy and do not need better health care.

According to Van Orman, 20 percent of UW students do not have health insurance, and studies show an additional 20 to 30 percent of students are underinsured.

In addition, according to a study from healthcare think tank The Commonwealth Fund cited by Baldwin, 53 percent of Americans between the ages of 19 and 29 are offered coverage through their employment, compared with 74 percent of those between the ages of 30 to 64 who are offered health care from their employers.

Junior Jerid Dickman, financial secretary of the Working Class Student Union, said he thinks the bill is a step in the right direction. Dickman, a Type-I diabetic covered under the Student Health Insurance Plan, said he is concerned about finding affordable health insurance after he graduates with a preexisting medical condition.

Under SHIP, Dickman said he spends $250 each month on diabetic supplies rather than the normal $400. However, he said SHIP only allows for a maximum of about $1,200 in prescriptions, which he exceeds in a matter of months.

Dickman said he believes the problem with the current health care system is its focus on business and competition rather than health care.