Youth Radio - Topic: Health Care

Will Switching Young People To Medi-Cal Help Or Hurt Them?

rgee — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:41:57 -0600

Governor Jerry Brown gave his State of the State address to Californians today. His proposed budget aims to fill the deficit of $9.2 billion dollars by cutting public programs and generating revenue from new tax initiatives. Among other cuts, Brown's budget suggests eliminating the Healthy Families Program, which currently provides health insurance to low-income teenagers and children, and switching them onto Medi-Cal insurance.

Janet Coffman, Professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco, spoke with Youth Radio about the potential effects of this switch.

Youth Radio: Can you explain the magnitude of this proposed action? Is it just an organizational switch, or while it have ripple effects?

Coffman: This proposal would affect 875,000 children. In addition to transferring these children from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal, the Governor proposes to cut the capitation rate (the rate paid to provide care per member child per month) that Healthy Families pays to health plans that provide coverage to children enrolled in the program by 25.7%.

YR: What are the dangers and concerns in your mind of eliminating the HFP?

Coffman: I believe the proposed rate reduction is a bigger concern. If rates are reduced by 25.7%, some health plans may choose not to renew their contracts. In addition, health plans would probably pass the rate cut on to physicians and other health professionals, which may reduce the number of health professionals who are willing to care for children enrolled in Healthy Families. This could, in turn, make it more difficult for these children to obtain treatment when they are sick and to obtain vaccines and other preventive services.

It is important to acknowledge that there would be some benefits to transferring children from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal. Premiums would be eliminated for children from families with the lowest incomes. Eliminating premiums would reduce the cost of coverage, which might lead more eligible families to enroll their children in the program. In addition, Medi-Cal provides more generous coverage for mental health and long-term care services than Healthy Families.

YR: Is there any worry that children / families will end up not covered at all?

Coffman: I think the answer depends on how the state handles the transition. If children are automatically shifted from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal, gaps in coverage should be minimal. If, on the other hand, families were required to reapply for coverage, some children could lose coverage if their parents do not know or understand what they need to do.

YR: In the scope of CA’s health policy history, how does this change continue or discontinue any trends?

Coffman: The Governor’s proposal would be a major change in policy regarding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (the generic name for Healthy Families and similar programs in other states). When the State Children’s Health Insurance Program was created in the 1990s, states had a choice of either expanding eligibility for their Medicaid programs (Medi-Cal in California) or establishing a separate program. At that time California chose to establish a separate program and to have that program administered by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board instead of the Department of Health Services, the agency that administers Medi-Cal.

Coffman recommends the opinion article by Lucien Wulsin for more information, who works for the Insure the Uninsured Project.

College Students And Recent Grads Will Sacrifice For Health Insurance

rgee — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:52:37 -0500

The 2011 eHealth College Student and Grads Survey, conducted by Kelton Research, shows that while college students and recent college graduates value health insurance - they don’t necessarily have the knowledge or the support to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act.

According to the study:
- Nearly all students (97%), recent grads (97%) and parents (97%) agree that it is important to have health insurance
- Most students (94%) and grads (93%) would willingly make sacrifices or give up at least one small indulgence like a weekly night out at the movies or dinner, or their daily coffee, if it meant they could afford health insurance
- Almost two in three students (63%) and grads (66%) think it’s fair for parents to help their children cover health insurance costs for a year or more after graduation and over half of parents (58%) agree. Yet more than four in ten parents (43%) with adult children under age 26 would only be willing to keep their children under their own health insurance plan if it cost them nothing
- More than one in two (57%) current students think it’s more important for grads to take a job they don’t like but which offers benefits like health insurance or a retirement account

To demonstrate further that young people value health insurance, 74% of recent grads would rather live at home with their parents in order to have health insurance, than live on their own without it.

The survey does show that the changes in health care coverage have made a difference. Last year’s survey showed that 14% of recent grads were covered by health plans paid for by their parents, and this year, 31% are covered by health insurance paid for by their parents.

Options Chart: Health Insurance For Grads

rgee — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:07:01 -0500

EHealthInsurance has put together a chart for college graduates to help explain their health insurance options. Check it out below:

For other Health Insurance information, check out the Young Invincibles Graduation Toolkit.

One Year After Affordable Care Act: Young Invincibles Addresses, "What Is A Deductible?"

rgee — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:46:27 -0500

This month marks the anniversary of the major health care reform bill, the Affordable Care Act, and according to Aaron Smith, co-founder and executive director of Young Invincibles, even more young people than expected took advantage of the ability to get back on their parents’ health insurance over the past year.

Young Invincibles is an organization that works to educate, inform, and mobilize young people in the health care debate. One huge period of transition for young people is graduating from college, and entering the job market for the first time. “It’s difficult for young adults to get a job, and even more difficult to find one with health benefits,” said Smith. “In college you’re insulated. Students tend to have insurance, and over 50 percent of four year schools require that you have insurance or are on the school plan,” he said.

Young Invincibles, in collaboration with the Roosevelt Institute and Families USA, put together a “Graduation Toolkit” available to download for free from their website. The toolkit consists of a series of fact sheets about health care topics that are most interesting to young people. They worked with a student advisory committee at UC Davis to figure out what these topics were.

“It was interesting to me that students are hungry for substantive and detailed information,” said Smith. “There’s an impression that students don’t want details, but they don’t know what a deductible is, or what a premium is. They want that information,” he said. Smith said the basic facts about health care are totally new to recent college graduates, and there isn’t enough information coming from colleges and universities about how to make health care decisions.

Smith said that one reason recent college graduates are reluctant to get on a health plan is that the decision involves payment, and students aren’t always sure what they’re paying for. “It’s not easy to compare products in terms of health care - you have to be an informed consumer,” said Smith. In this sense, he added, getting young people to get insurance is similar to getting them to vote. Students either don’t have the necessary information to make the decisions, or the information is inaccessible to them.

He said that voting and health care are also similar because young people don't realize until down the line what the repercussions are of not voting. “They realize when it’s too late, and say, ‘I wish I had health insurance,'" said Smith.

In the Young Invincibles toolkit, you can find fact sheets about how to get back on your parents’ plan, what to do if you have a pre-existing condition, how to choose a health care plan, how young people can reduce their risk of cancer, and many more topics.

Youth Political Energy Is High As Elections Approach

rgee — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:17:15 -0500

The November elections are just around the corner. According to Bakari Kitwana of the Huffington Post, the 18 - 29 age demographic will be extremely important once again. However, he makes the argument, “Over the last two years President Barack Obama did not fulfill his campaign commitments to the 14 million plus young voters so crucial to his 2008 victory.”

He explains that the youth sent Obama to the White House to make change happen, and now they have to decide if he’s done enough. Are the changes to health care, student loans, the economy, and the war in Iraq big enough signs of change?

While we can’t predict which way the elections will go, we can see the political energy still surging through young people around the country.

The College Republicans National Committee (CRNC) has been actively recruiting new Republican voters. “We’ve put field representatives in Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Ohio to work with the local college representatives to recruit, train, and engage college students for statewide victory purposes,” said Rob Lockwood, Communications Director for the CRNC.

Lockwood said they focused their recruiting efforts in these battleground states and have succeeded in recruiting 25,200 new college Republicans in these states alone. He said young voters are especially important to this election. “It’s been proven that the college years are the most formative in shaping a political opinion. Because young people voted in record numbers in 2008, it’s important to get them to the polls again. We believe young people voted for the power of personality in 2008. They were energized. They voted for hope and change. However, neither of those has been implemented. The only change they got is massive debt on their tab, in exchange for short term political gain,” said Lockwood.

Likewise, the College Democrats of America (CDA) are busy recruiting young people to vote. Alejandra Salinas, President of the CDA said they have targeted certain states. “In Texas, we only had eight chapters last year. This year we have 45,” she said. She also cited the numbers of young voters in 2008 as a powerful sign. “We all learned in 2008 that the power is with the people who show up to vote. We elected democratic people who stood up for student rights issues such as credit card reform, health care reform, and student loan reform. These changes have improved the lives of young people across the country,” she said.

Salinas said the CDA is focusing on conveying the message that the Democrats have fulfilled their promises. “The Democrats have delivered on hope and change and we have to make sure that message has been communicated. If we get the message out, young people will be convinced that they need to get back out there and vote.”

In order to convey their message, the CRNC created a website called ourtab.org, with the slogan, "Don't Put It On Our Tab," which is a visualization of the national debt growing. “It has been extremely effective and gotten lots of positive response. It’s an initiative to inform young voters,” said Lockwood. He explained that the Republicans are running on a platform of financial efficiency, conservancy, and transparency.

“In 2008, the administration added 5 trillion dollars to the national debt. Young people are realizing that they are in danger of picking up the debt. If they cannot find work, they can’t pay off their debt. We need financial reform,” said Lockwood.

Meanwhile, organizations like The League of Young Voters and Rock the Vote are busy making sure that young people stay involved in politics.

Rock the Vote posted on its blog, “With the passage of voter registration deadlines in over 26 states across the nation, Rock the Vote surpassed its goal for registering young voters this fall. As of Oct. 4, Rock the Vote more than 225,000 individuals have used Rock the Vote’s tool to register to vote in the Nov. 2 midterm elections. This figure exceeded our 2010 goal of 200,000 registrations, more than quadrupled the number of registrations processed in 2006, and represents the largest midterm registration effort in our organization’s history.”

The League of Young Voters Education Fund kicked off the BET Hip-Hop Awards with an event called, “IGNITE 2010: From the Blogs to the Blocks.” This event was to discuss the role of new media and hip hop has to play in the important youth issues.

Young Adult Considers Returning to Parents' Health Plan

wilmer — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:07:55 -0500

Originally broadcast on NPR's Morning Edition on September 22, 2010.

By Molly Adams

Before health care reform was signed into law, President Obama made a speech where he was pretty much talking to me when he said: "If you're a young adult, which many of you are, you'll be able to stay on your parents' insurance policy until you're 26 years old."

This was good news for me -- two years since I became an official independent adult. That rite of passage was graduating college and being removed from my parents' health insurance coverage. And since then I haven't been able to find an affordable plan as a single person who works three different jobs. So when the law was signed I called my mom, Sheera LaBelle, and I asked her a question to which I could guess the answer: "Mom, will you take me back?"

"Well I'd love to take you back," she said. "I'm really trying to figure out what this whole overhaul is going to mean. There have been so many rules, at least with my insurance."

I told my mom I'd take care of sorting out the rules. I called the benefits office of the University of Southern Maine where my mom works and found out that I can re-enroll in her plan in November and be covered by January. Yeah, it's not Sept 23 -- the date the provision "officially" takes effect. I'm just glad my parents have a plan that qualifies.

Right now, I am completely financially independent of them, something I've been working for since graduating college. It is a strange and kind of demeaning concept to revisit a dependent type of relationship with them. I asked my mom recently if she thought this was awkward, too.

"It is what it is," she told me. "It's a stopgap measure. And you will be only covered for a couple of years until you turn 26. My hope would be that you would get a job that pays benefits. As far as it costing extra money for us, it didn't make a huge difference. It wasn't a whole lot more because I think in general people your age are healthy. And so it would be peace of mind to me to know that you have health care coverage."

It would be peace of mind to me, too. Even though I'm healthy, I live in a state of paranoia. Something could happen to me between now and January that no savings account could ever cover. Last year I made 18 thousand dollars. Before taxes.

This might be surprising, but the health care reform law is not a topic of conversation among my friends. I only know one other person who tried to get back on her parents' plan. But instead, she decided to split the cost of an individual PPO with her mom to avoid some headaches. My friends only talk about health care when they need immediate access. Then we're sharing information about deals in clinics or free services.

Here's what a lot of friends my age and in the same situation are focusing all their energy on: transitioning from freelance -- or part time -- to full time work with benefits. Not health insurance.

I see that changing in 2014. That's when, under the new health care law, many people -- and not just young adults, but most uninsured adults -- will have to make a choice: be covered or pay a fine. At that point, I hope I'll be a worker with benefits, not one shopping the health care exchanges for health care I can afford.

Previously:

A Prescription For Covering Uninsured Young Adults

rebecca — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:53:13 -0500

by: Emily Beaver

Under 26 with no health insurance? Signing up for Mom or Dad's health insurance plan later this year might be the cure.

On September 23, part of health care reform that allows young adults to get insurance coverage through their parents' plans until age 26 will become law. Before Congress passed health care reform earlier this year, every state had different rules about how long young people could be covered under their parents' plans. Insurance plans could drop young adults when they turned 19 or graduated from college. Some states allowed young people to stay on their parents plans into their twenties, but required them to live with their parents, be unmarried, or be a college student.

The good news for young people is that the new law does away with these rules, said Ari Matusiak, co-founder the Young Invincibles, an organization that promotes opportunities for people ages 18 to 34. Starting September 24, young adults living in any state won't have to live with their parents, be students, or even be unmarried to be insured through a parent's health care plan, he said.

Matusiak and Young Invincibles co-founder Aaron Smith teamed up with AARP, a group for people over age 50, to answer questions about the new law at a virtual town hall meeting in Sacramento, California on Thursday. They also introduced GettingCovered.org, a new website that helps young adults find out if they can get insured through a parent's plan. The site, created by the Young Invincibles, lets young adults and their parents take a short quiz to find their health care options - they can even get personal "health care prescriptions" based on their quiz results e-mailed to them. Employers can also find information about adding adult children to insurance plans.

Not every young adult will be able to take advantage of the new provision. Employers aren't required to cover adult children who are offered insurance at their own jobs. Young people whose parents don't have insurance won't benefit. And young adults 26 and older still may struggle to find affordable health care options.

But for many young adults, who are more likely than any other age group to be uninsured, latching on to a parents' health plan could be one of the easiest, most affordable ways to get health care. An estimated 2 million young adults will be able to take advantage of this option, and parents who want to add them will only have to pay slightly more for their insurance, Smith said Thursday.

Wondering when you can sign up? After September 23, young adults can enroll in their parents' health plans during the next open enrollment period. Many health plan years begin on January 1 and hold open enrollment in the fall, but young people and their parents should check with their parent's employers to find out when they can enroll, Smith said.

Previously:

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Watching Your Health Chip Away

noah — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:07:56 -0500

This story originally aired on NPR's Morning Edition, March 24, 2010

President Obama signed the health care overhaul bill into law yesterday. Still, some health organizations want more to be done to provide care to uninsured Americans including the American Dental Association. They opposed the bill because it didn't increase funding for dental services paid by Medicaid. And that, the ADA says, won't help the millions of Americans without dental insurance. Youth Radio's Jennifer Obakhume visits one family dealing with that reality.

Cesscia Rojo and her sister Adriana are young and healthy, except they have dental issues. Major ones. Cesscia says, when they needed care, they used to go to Tijuana, Mexico.

“I went to Tijuana and that’s where they started the root canal. When I came back, all the problems started with the drugs dealers, so I wasn’t going back to TJ anytime soon.”

Both sisters have tried to get dental care in the U-S. Adriana used a free clinic in Southern California to have a broken tooth pulled. But she needs more dental work.

“I still have a hole in my mouth. It hurts sometimes if I chew bread cuz it goes in there and it hurts, but other than that it’s good.”

The sisters live at a home with their parents. Cesscia says they enjoy cooking dinner together every night.

"See really you know, Mexican culture, we, they hold on to us until we’re married. And we’re not married, and we’re here until we finish school. And then we’ll take them in. And we’re just going to stay together."

The family has lived legally in the US for years. Some members have insurance, some don't. Cessica says her relatives still often go to Mexico for medical treatment. Almost a million Californians get health care in Mexico each year, according to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

“I know a lot of my cousins have done it and my aunts and uncles have done it. It’s about half as much as you’d pay here, which is still a lot of money, but much less. You’re not going to get a dentist for sixty bucks to patch up your hole. It’s a couple grand."

But Cesscia and Adriana are too worried about the violence to back to Mexico. So they get basic health services like immunizations at school. And for acute or chronic conditions, they’re on their own. Adriana says she just ignores her health issues, like her broken tooth.

"My main concern is that I still have an infection, but we can’t do anything about it, so I try not to think about it."

The president has just signed the health bill. But Adriana hasn't given much thought to what the new law will mean for her. Her focus is on finishing school and then finding a job to pay for medical and dental care.

For NPR News, I'm Jennifer Obakhume.

Previously:

How Young People Will Benefit From Health Care

denise — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:06:52 -0500

After months of debating, 219 members of the House of Representatives voted “yes” on health care reform. The new legislation will extend coverage to 95% of the population. 32 million people who lack insurance will now be eligible for health care. President Obama is set to sign the bill on Tuesday and the Senate is expected to pass the reconciliation bill by the end of this week. Here’s a quick rundown of how uninsured young people will benefit from the bill.

Young people who were denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions will now be able to get covered. Fifteen percent of young Americans who suffer from chronic conditions will now have access to health care. Young people will also be able to stay insured through their parent’s coverage until the age of 26—more than two million uninsured young adults will benefit from this provision.

   • Young Americans can remain on their parents’ health insurance until their 26th birthday.
   • Health plans will be prohibited from dropping individuals’ coverage when they get sick.
   • Medicaid will be expanded to cover every American earning less than 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), providing coverage to nine million currently uninsured young adults.

Here in the Bay Area people will see changes swiftly. According to Deputy District Director, Ricci Graham Barbara Lee’s congressional district will see changes immediately. “Extending coverage to 52 thousand people immediately—including young adults who have been dropped from their parent’s insurance.” Graham also says it will improve the quality of insurance to 360 thousand residents in the congress women ninth congressional district.

Having health care will no longer be an option, it will be the law. Under this bill, people are required to apply for health care and if they don’t, they will be fined.

Previously:

Historic Health Care Reform Bill Passes

noah — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:06:08 -0500

By: Emily Beaver

The House of Representative passed a health care reform bill Sunday, delivering on President Obama's promise of change.

After months of debate, argument, and just plain bickering about health care, the House passed a health care reform bill by a vote of 219-212. Only Democrats supported the bill, which will extend health insurance to millions of people and will provide new protections for people who already have insurance. The vote was historic -- if it becomes a law, it would require almost all Americans to have insurance for the first time. The vote was also exciting -- one of those rare times when watching Congress work felt more like witnessing history than watching sausage being made.

"This isn't radical reform, but it is major reform," Obama said at a press conference after the vote. "This is what change looks like."

What the House passed on Sunday was just one piece of health care reform bill, called the reconciliation bill. Next, Obama will sign the health care reform bill the Senate passed in December. On Tuesday, the Senate will have to pass the reconciliation bill before health care reform becomes law.

For young adults, the age group most likely to be uninsured, health reform will bring big changes -- with some changes happening as soon as this year. Later this year, health care reform would begin to allow young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26. By 2014, more young people without children will be able to qualify for Medicaid, the government health insurance program for poor and low-income people. Young adults who don't get health insurance at work will be able to buy insurance through a health insurance exchange, even if they have pre-existing health conditions like asthma or diabetes.

Even for young people, who have a lot to gain from reform, there will be a cost. For the first time, everyone will have to get insurance -- so the "young invincibles" who don't buy insurance because they're young and healthy won't be able to skip out on insurance any more - or they'll be fined.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been a major player in passing health reform, said in a speech before the vote that health reform will "unleash an entrepreneurial spirit" in America. Now, people who want to leave their jobs will be able to keep their health insurance, and people who want to start their own businesses will be able to get insurance she said.

For young adults, who are less likely to get insurance through work, being able to change jobs or create their own job without worrying about health insurance is important. But having access to health insurance might mean something more -- it might mean pursuing the dream of becoming a musician, not having to choose between buying winter boots or going to the doctor, or getting the critical scans and tests to make sure your cancer is still in remission.

“For all Americans, but particularly young Americans, this is a historic moment that guarantees affordable, stable health care for all,” said Aaron Smith, co-founder of the health reform advocacy group Young Invincibles, in a statement released Monday. “This bill will provide our generation with the opportunity to pursue our dreams without fear of a lack of health insurance."