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OP-ED: With tens of millions uninsured nationwide, Brandeis should reform its costly health care
by Gabriel Verzino
Heart of the Matter
Op-Ed | 10/30/07
Posted online at 9:15 PM EST on 10/29/07
/ Last updated at 7:44 PM EST on 10/29/07
Hands down, the United States provides some of the most expensive and state of the art medical technology to successfully treat hundreds of thousands of patients every year. We pride ourselves on the ability to expand cutting edge research, to develop new medicines and to attract highly qualified physicians from all over the world. But although many lives have been improved by these successes, the cost of such privileges is becoming a little more than we can bear.
The United States currently pays more than any other industrialized nation for health care benefits. It spends an average of roughly $7,000 per person every year-nearly 16 percent of the GDP-solely for health care. Statistics have shown that the cost of providing quality care continues to rise at an alarming rate every year.
But should we be concerned? For the most part, we are young and healthy students. Even though we may occasionally have some some health issues, we will always have health insurance to pay for the excellent medical services the United States provides, right? Wrong. The truth of the matter is that there are currently 45.8 million Americans today without health insurance, and an estimated 10 percent of this population is college students.
In Massachusetts alone, there are nearly 75,000 uninsured adults between the ages of 19 and 24, and young adults have had significantly lower insurance rates than any other group of individuals in the United States, including the elderly. In addition, insurance premiums are continuing to rise, and it is expected that the number of uninsured college students in America will grow another 1.1 million in the next decade.
In an effort to control the rising costs of care, health insurance companies have begun to limit certain access to health care, particularly for young adults. Many previously existing insurance plans designed to attract college students placed stringent limitations and high fees on health services, making these policies practically useless. Over the past several years many plans have begun to charge exorbitant surgeons' fees, put caps on outpatient care or limit treatment to very specific conditions.
The United States currently pays more than any other industrialized nation for health care benefits. It spends an average of roughly $7,000 per person every year-nearly 16 percent of the GDP-solely for health care. Statistics have shown that the cost of providing quality care continues to rise at an alarming rate every year.
But should we be concerned? For the most part, we are young and healthy students. Even though we may occasionally have some some health issues, we will always have health insurance to pay for the excellent medical services the United States provides, right? Wrong. The truth of the matter is that there are currently 45.8 million Americans today without health insurance, and an estimated 10 percent of this population is college students.
In Massachusetts alone, there are nearly 75,000 uninsured adults between the ages of 19 and 24, and young adults have had significantly lower insurance rates than any other group of individuals in the United States, including the elderly. In addition, insurance premiums are continuing to rise, and it is expected that the number of uninsured college students in America will grow another 1.1 million in the next decade.
In an effort to control the rising costs of care, health insurance companies have begun to limit certain access to health care, particularly for young adults. Many previously existing insurance plans designed to attract college students placed stringent limitations and high fees on health services, making these policies practically useless. Over the past several years many plans have begun to charge exorbitant surgeons' fees, put caps on outpatient care or limit treatment to very specific conditions.
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