TIGER TV ONLINE REPORTER
President Barack Obama may have began the transition from “Yes, We Can” to “Yes, We Are” on September 10 with his speech on health care reform.
“It’s a plan that seeks to provide universal health care coverage for Americans regardless of pre-existing conditions which will lower the cost of private insurance,” said Joseph Stern, the vice president of college democrats and the community organizer for organizing for America.
Daniel Marsh, a political science junior and member of the College Republicans, said while he supports the President’s idea of universal health care, he disagrees with the motives.
“The people of America are going to have to foot the bill somehow whether it’s through taxes or penalties on people who buy private insurance policies or through taxing certain tax brackets,” he said.
Marsh said Americans should put money into the system before expecting money out of the system.
“The definition of insurance is the paying of a small sum of all to cover the loss of few,” he said.
Someone who has paid insurance over the years should not be expected to pay the medical bills of someone who files for health insurance with a pre-existing condition, Marsh said.
But Stern said the public option would be a government run, non-profit organization like the post office.
“It will make sure Americans benefit and it won’t be funded by tax payers but rather by people paying into the system and rates wouldn’t be raised based on a line of work,” he said.
The people paying into the system would be those who choose to participate in the public option.
“It’s called the public option, not the public mandate,” he said.
Marsh said private companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield are non-profit as well.
“They do what they do simply to provide common health welfare in Louisiana,” he said.
The University also offers a health insurance policy, said Julie Hupperich, the Student Health Center’s associate director.
“It’s a University sponsored plan and GM Southwest has the contract this year,” she said.
The plan is popular among graduate students and required of international students unless they can find a plan that matches or exceeds the University’s level of coverage, Hupperich said.
Celeste Carney, the Insurance Billing Office Coordinator and HIPAA compliance officer, said the University’s plan checks for pre-existing conditions up to 90 days before the student filed for insurance.
Carney said the University’s plan would probably be unaffected by Obama’s suggested policy changes; however, more students may have health insurance if insurance companies could not deny anyone with pre-existing conditions.
“It may raise my level of work but I’m more than happy to do it if students are getting help,” she said.
The Health Center treats all students regardless of coverage, Carney said.
“Students aren’t treated differently based on insurance status,” she said. “And our prices are below those of private sectors.”
Consultations with doctors are free also, she said.
“Anybody with a fee bill is eligible for the University’s health insurance,” Carney said.
The University’s insurance offers three options. The most basic has a deductable of three hundred dollars.
With the plan, a patient’s primary medical care must be at the Student Health Center. To see a doctor off campus, the Health Center must give a referral unless it’s an emergency.
Pavel Mrazek, a mass communications student in the masters program from the Czech Republic, said he dislikes the University’s plan because the Health Center is where he must receive his primary care.
Also, his last policy didn’t have a deductive.
“This policy is kind of expensive and doesn’t offer the services I would expect,” he said.
A copy of the University’s plan can be found online at www.shc.lsu.edu.
