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“Hold on, man. We don’t go anywhere with ‘scary,’ ‘spooky,’ ‘haunted,’ or ‘forbidden’ in the title.” ~From Scooby-Doo
The Wilson Billboard October 23, 2009 Wilson College Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Vol. XXXXI, No. 5
Will Wilson’s Student Insurance Cover Your Medical Bills? by Kayla Chagnon
As the President, lawmakers, pundits and the public try to decide whether there should be universal health care for all Americans, there is one group that seems to feel themselves exempted from the issue: young adults. Those from age 19 to 29 are the least likely people to be insured in the U.S. Around one third of this population does not carry any kind of health insurance, according to Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit group that promotes a high preformance health care system. Most college students are lucky. States see them as dependents and therefore insurance companies must cover them under
Young adults are the least likely people to be insured. Around one third of young adults do not carry any kind of insurance. their parents’ plans. For Wilson students whose parents are without insurance coverage sponsored by an employer, there is one choice of coverage: the “Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan” from Commercial Travelers Mutual Insurance Company in Utica, New York. The insurance, according to the Wilson College website, costs $340.00 per semester and covers $3,000 in doctor’s fees for one accident or sickness. According to Don Kime, Director of Human Resources, it is Wilson policy to make certain every student living on campus or playing on a sports team is covered. He admits that the insurance is one of the inexpensive plans, but it does cover most surgeries and accidents. He also acknowledged that there are only about 25 students on the plan. According to Nicole Villella, College Nurse, the most typical misunderstanding about Wilson
insurance “is that it is the typical commercial insurance,” meaning that a patient pays a co-pay and then the office bills the insurance. However, for Wilson insurance, the nurse must refer the student for treatment, and the student gets the bill at the time of the service. The student sends the bill, along with claim forms, to the insurance company. For hospital visits, the insurance usually covers all costs deemed reasonable, but for preventative visits to the doctor, coverage is limited. Villella says that around two years ago, she and Kime, “looked into different companies to try to find something better.” However, many companies do not offer insurance to Wilson because of the small amount of students using the plan. Insuring a larger amounts of students spreads the cost over larger amounts of
people. Other companies asked for two to three times as much money for insurance. Because of the potential for increased cost, the Business Office decided that the higher priced insurance was, “out of range for students.” However, Villella and Kime helped restructure the insurance Wilson offered. The company now covers the first doctor visit. According to Villella, “for the first visit you had to pay out of pocket.” Villella says this is a positive change because most students only use one visit, not consecutive ones. However, Villella says that the system still has its flaws. “Honestly, I wish that students had a choice. I do not want students to pay thousands of dollars.” She also points out the benefits of the plan. It “pays for one annual OB/GYN
visit, mandated by Pennsylvania law, which we try and encourage women to take advantage of.” She also adds that the, “major injury component and the pharmacy plan are both benefits.” The other main benefit is that the insurance works anywhere in the country. The plan offers good coverage for students who suffer accidents, and includes hospital room and board, medicine, tests, X-rays, casts and anesthesia. There is also coverage for ambulance use and other outpatient services. However, there is a list of twentyeight limitations to the insurance plan, including no coverage for dental problems, any accident where flying is involved (except on commercial flights), any injury as the result of a war, any self-inflicted injury, plastic surgery unless necessary or those resulting from a race or speeding contest. For graduating students, however, the future is grim. They can no longer rely on their parents’ insurance. And with fewer students getting full-time jobs out of college, the lack of insurance looms. 11 states allow single individuals to be on their parents insurance until the age of 26. Pennsylvania is not one. Those people right out of college or without secure employment are foregoing insurance. The media calls these individuals the “young invincibles,” and they have become a topic of heated debate because they are the least likely to be recognized as a vulnerable population. Many make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to pay for private insurance. Most do not worry about the risk, but one accident may send uninsured people into a credit tailspin. Yet, as the largest amount of uninsured people in the country, young people do count and they do have a say.