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TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014
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THE JUSTICE
NEWS WIRE BRIEF
Young adults reluctant to enroll for new federal health insurance plans
WASHINGTON—Halfway through the six-month enrollment period for private marketplace health insurance, just one in four new adult enrollees are between ages 18 and 34, the crucial demographic group whose participation rates are key to keeping monthly premiums affordable under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In the first release of extensive demographic data about the new enrollee population, the Obama administration said Monday that 55 percent, or roughly 1.2 million of the nearly 2.2 million people who have selected a federal or state marketplace plan, are generally older adults, ranging in age from 45 to 64. About 517,000, or 24 percent, of the new enrollees were young adults ages 18 to 34. The administration also reported Monday that women make up 54 percent of new state and federal marketplace enrollees, 60 percent of enrollees have selected a “silver” plan that covers at least 70 percent of medical expenses, and nearly eight in 10 new plan members qualify for tax credits or other federal subsidies to help pay for their coverage. The early influx of older enrollees comes as no surprise to most experts who predicted the Affordable Care Act’s new consumer protections and beefed-up coverage requirements would initially attract older people who may have been denied coverage in the past or been unable to purchase affordable health insurance because of pre-existing health problems. The health law outlaws coverage denials and guarantees access to individual and small-group coverage regardless of current or past health problems. But in order to keep premiums for marketplace coverage in check, the Obama administration needs roughly 40 percent of new exchange enrollees to be under age 35. This group of younger, typically healthy plan members is cheaper to insure and would offset the coverage costs for older plan members, who are generally sicker and costlier to cover. Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health, a health care consulting firm, said the early rush of older plan members isn’t a problem—yet. “I look at this and say it’s a modestly negative sign, but it is not an indication of failure by any means at this point,” Mendelson said. “It’s older than what you want to see from an underwriting perspective, but if the younger population accelerates their enrollment between now and March 31, there won’t be a major problem.” Administration officials said they were pleased with the mix of young people who have signed up thus far, saying the 24 percent share among 18- to 34-year-olds is comparable to their 26 percent share of the general public. “We are confident, based on the results we have now, that we will have an appropriate mix of individuals enrolled in coverage,” Michael Hash, director of the office of health reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said during a conference call with the media. Aaron Smith, executive director of Young Invincibles, a national advocacy group for young adults, said he expected youth enrollment to increase in the coming months and was “encouraged to see young people enrolling at such a fast clip this early on in the enrollment process.” Mendelson agreed. “In our enrollment models, the younger people sign up at the end of March because they are more likely to procrastinate,” he said. “That’s how we have been thinking about this all along, so it’s roughly consistent with what we expected.” The Obama administration will work with college fraternities and sororities and other grassroots groups to focus their enrollment efforts on 25 cities that have the largest numbers of uninsured. Those cities include Miami; Dallas; Houston; Detroit; St. Louis; New Orleans; Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Austin, Texas; and McAllen, Texas.
POLICE LOG Sex Crimes
Dec. 17—A student reported a prior incident of assault and battery. University Police compiled a report of the incident and will launch an investigation to address the matter.
Medical Emergency
Dec. 13—A student reported a party fell and suffered head trauma upon exercising in Mandel Center for the Humanities. University Police and BEMCo responded and transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Dec. 16—University Police received a report that a student fell on ice outside Usdan Student Center and suffered head trauma. University Police arrived on the scene and transported the student to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Dec. 17—Waltham Police reported to University Police that a female student fell on the Squire Bridge. She called 911, and after being treated by BEMCo, was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 7—A female entered
Stoneman Building with a fork lodged in her right knee, an injury obtained after falling while running with the fork. University Police treated the party and transported her to NewtonWellesley Hospital for further treatment.
Larceny
Dec. 14—A staff member in the Shapiro Life Sciences Center reported the theft and use of a credit card. University Police compiled a report of the incident and advised the staff member to cancel the card. Dec. 16—A student reported that items were missing from a suite in Rosenthal South. University Police compiled a report of the incident. Dec. 17—A staff member reported that $50 was stolen from a wallet in the Shapiro Life Sciences Building. University Police compiled a report of the incident. Dec. 19—A staff member reported the theft of $15 from a purse left unattended in Volen Center for Complex Systems. University Police compiled a report of the incident.
Jan. 9—University Police received a report that approximately $1,000 in cash was stolen from a secured office desk during winter recess. University Police compiled a report of the theft.
Traffic
Dec. 11—A student reported his car was hit in the Usen Castle parking lot the previous day. University Police compiled a report of the hit and run. Dec. 19—University Police received a report that a car parked in the Goldfarb Library parking lot was rear-ended and received damage. University Police then compiled a report of the incident.
Drugs
Dec. 11—A student at Charles River Road reported the smell of marijuana adjacent to her room. University Police responded but were unable to trace the source and appraised the community development coordinator on-call of the situation.
Miscellaneous
Dec. 12—A student reported a strong odor in the Shapiro Life
DeRosa runs for office
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS MORGAN BRILL/the Justice
n The caption of a photo in Sports should have identified its subject as Julian Cardillo, not Jullian Cardillo. (Dec. 10, p. 13)
A sign in the Usdan Student Center stands to inform students that the New York-style kosher delicatessen Louis’ will open next Monday, while Peet’s, a coffee shop, will open in the Shapiro Science Center next Wednesday.
n The artwork shown on the Arts section cover was not properly attributed. The painting shown was by Mara Sassoon ’14. (Dec. 10, p. 17)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Bingo
Join Student Activities and American Sign Language Club for ASL-themed Bingo. Thursday from 10 to 11:30 p.m. in the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.
Laser tag battle
Join the Department of Student Activities for an ultimate laser tag battle. Challenge your friends to a showdown in an interactive battleground. Who will win? Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.
Skating on the Frog Pond
Experience one of Boston’s signature winter activities by skating on the Boston Common Frog Pond, an ice rink nestled in the heart of America’s oldest public park. Purchase a five dollar ticket (includes admission and skate rentals) at Brandeis Tickets in the Shapiro Campus Center atrium. Saturday from 12:15 to 3:45 p.m. Transportation leaves from Theater Lot.
—compiled by Adam Rabinowitz
BRIEF
NEW OPTIONS
—McClatchy Newspapers
n A photograph in Features failed to credit a photographer. The photograph should have been attributed to Josh Horowitz. (Dec. 10, p. 9)
Sciences stairwell. University Police arrived at the scene and indicated the source of the smell probably stemmed from a facilities issue. Facilities staff was notified and no further action was taken by University Police. Dec. 13—A student reported that a fire had arisen in a bush near Gordon Hall in North Quad. State police units arrived on the scene along with University Police and extinguished the fire. The source of the fire seemed to stem from a lit cigarette. Dec. 15—A female student reported that another person had looked at her while in the shower. University Police compiled a report of the incident, and after failing to locate the perpetrator, appraised the CDC on call of the situation. Dec. 19—A potential non-student was found sleeping in the Scheffres Hall lounge. The party claimed to be a student, but after failing to locate a student listing, was immediately escorted off campus and issued a trespass warning.
Live band karaoke
Sing your favorite song while accompanied by a live karaoke band, B11. Co-sponsored by Student Activities and Student Events. Saturday from 9 to 11:59 p.m. in the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.
Winter involvement fair
Come wander through all of the rooms and offices of the Shapiro Campus Center and meet leaders from our clubs and organizations. Involvement is the key to success—so get started. Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at locations throughout the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Brandeis University’s ninth Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial: “For the Love of A Dream!” This event will feature Brandeis’ own scholar-song bird Erica Barnett ’17, schol-
Prof. James Arena-DeRosa (Heller), an adjunct lecturer at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a resident of Holliston, Mass., has joined the race for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, local sources such as the Metro Daily West and MassLive.com reported late last month. Arena-DeRosa, who teaches courses such as HS 218f: “Communication for Impact” and HS 281f: “International Advocacy in Action,” will run against Steve Kerrigan, a former Senator Ted Kennedy aide, CEO of Leading Cities Mike Lake and Jonathan Edwards, a selectman from Whately, Mass., in the September Democratic primary. Arena-DeRosa was formerly the director of Public Advocacy for Oxfam America, New England Regional Manager for the United States Peace Corps in Boston, and currently oversees $10 billion of food and nutrition programs in the Northeast for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to his profile on the Heller School’s website. According to a Jan. 13 MassLive. com article, Arena-DeRosa plans to focus on hunger, nutrition and food policy, should he be elected. “There are billions of dollars of long-term savings if we can get people to have a healthier lifestyle,” Arena-DeRosa told the online news outlet. “There’s tremendous interest in fresh, local healthy foods,” DeRosa continued. “The rules are set up unfortunately to sometimes help the bigger corporate entities. We need someone who’s fighting for our small farmers.” The position of lieutenant governor has been vacant since June, when Timothy Murray resigned to become president and chief executive officer of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce according to a May 23 Worcester Telegram article. Murray left the elected post amid scandals involving a high-speed car crash and allegations of improper campaign fundraising, according to the article. —Tate Herbert
ar-singer-songwriter-athlete and Brandeis Bridge Fellow Makalani Mack ’16, along with scholar-artists and celebrated dance juggernauts Kaos Kids. Back by popular demand will be the return of the Emmy Award Winning Sean Fielder and the Boston Tap Company. The keynote couplet for the evening will be the duo of Freedom Activists, assistant to Dr. King and Musicians, Hubert and Jane Sapp. Dr. King will reengage our lives through the very capable and encore embodiment of the delivery of his words through scholar-motivator and social change agent Jermaine Hamilton ’14. The evening’s festivities will be hosted by Prof. Chad Williams (AAAS), chair of the African and Afro-American Studies department. The event is cosponsored by MLK and Friends, the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Communications. Monday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Carl Shapiro Campus Center Theater.