a student newspaper of the university of tulsa
september 30, 2013 issue 4 ~ volume 99
OKLAHOMA HEALTH RANKINGS out of 50 states OVERALL HEALTH OBESITY SMOKING HEART DISEASE DIABETES INFANT MORTALITY PREMATURE DEATH
UNINSURED
43 45 47 48 43 39 46
OKLAHOMANS
One in six Oklahomans is without health insurance.
One in four adults in Oklahoma is without health insurance.
MARKETPLACE INSURANCE
PLAN RATES OKLAHOMA
NATIONAL AVERAGE
$174
$249
Lowest tier plan
0%
30%
Comparable plan
100%
POVERTY LINE
COVERAGE GAP
130 THOUSAND
Oklahomans will not qualify for Medicaid or subsidies due to coverage gap Graphic by Jill Graves
Oklahoma currently ranks among the lowest states in several health categories. One in four Oklahoman adults do not have health insurance. The average price of the lowest-grade Oklahoma insurance plan is one-fifth less than the national average. While the policies of the Affordable Care Act will increase coverage in Oklahoma, Governor Mary Fallin’s rejection of federal funds to expand Medicaid will leave a coverage gap in Oklahoma.
Obamacare insurance exchanges open Oct. 1 On Tuesday, those without coverage will be able to purchase insurance plans through government exchanges. This week the Collegian covers the healthcare reform and some of its consequences for Oklahomans. Kimberly Poff Haley Stritzel Staff Writers
O
n October 1 the healthcare marketplaces created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will officially open for enrollment, allowing Americans who presently do not have insurance to choose between a variety of plans. Coverage will kick in on January 1, 2014. The insurance exchanges are marketplaces where those not covered by their employers and not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid
may purchase insurance. Those with incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for tax credits towards purchasing insurance. Plans offered on the marketplaces will all cover a certain minimum of services, but vary based on annual premiums and out-of-pocket payments, such as deductibles and co-payments. Lower-tier “bronze” and “silver” plans will have lower premiums and high out-of-pocket costs, with the opposite being true of higher tier “gold” and “platinum” plans.
The Affordable Care Act Passed into law on March 23, 2010, the ACA represents an effort to lessen the disparity between healthcare costs and outcomes. In 2006, the US spent 16 percent of its GDP on healthcare, about $650 billion more than would be expected given its GDP compared to other developed countries. However the extra money does
not seem to be resulting in better care. Despite spending more than two and a half times most other developed nations per person on healthcare, the US ranks 22nd in life expectancy among developed countries. Similarly, the US ranks 50th in the world for infant mortality. However, we spend much more on childbirth than other developed countries: the average cost of traditional childbirth in the US is $9,775, in comparison to $2,641 in Britain, which is ranked 35th. The ACA is wildly unpopular among Republican officials and has faced challenges in the Supreme Court. The most recent episode in the controversy is a threatened government shutdown. Republicans are pushing for the ACA to be defunded or delayed in the upcoming federal budget and a government shutdown looms pending a deal being reached by midnight on Monday, Sept. 30. The reforms initiated by the
True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center The True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center connects TU’s staff, faculty, and students to the community around us. Mentor, tutor, assist a teacher, monitor a playground or cafeteria, work in a Food Bank. We partner with over 75 agencies in and around the Tulsa area, so wherever your interests are we can find a place for you volunteer your time. Make a Difference Day This is a national event to spotlight community service in your area. TU will be joining other Kendall-Whittier community partners to clean up Kendall-Whittier Main Street on Oct 26th from 1 P.M. – 4 P.M.
ACA fall into three main categories: insurance mandates (both for employers and individuals), the insurance exchanges, and changes to government healthcare, particularly Medicaid. The bill mandates some changes in coverage for individuals and employers; notably that children can be covered by their parents’ insurance until the age of 26, FDA-certified contraceptives must be covered and companies may not drop policyholders if they become sick or refuse to cover treatment after a certain price threshold. As a primary component, the law includes a requirement that all Americans (with a few exceptions) have health insurance: the individual mandate. This provisions was originally proposed in 1989 by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The individual mandate was again championed in 1993 in the Republican HEART Act. This bill came in response to the Clinton
healthcare bill, which would have required all employers to provide insurance. In 2006, Republican Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney enacted the individual mandate at the state level in Massachusetts’ health care insurance reform law. The mandate is primarily an attempt to lower healthcare costs: people without health insurance still utilize healthcare services, resulting in billions of dollars every year in unpaid medical bills. People who have health insurance coverage access preventative care more often, thus avoiding higher costs later when health issues worsen and require emergency intervention. They are also less likely to be bankrupted by health issues. Further, relatively healthy people under age 35 often don’t have health insurance, because they often don’t hold jobs where
See Healthcare page 4
Community Service Work Study Would you like to work in a rewarding atmosphere? Do you qualify for Federal Work Study? You can use your work study at a non-profit agency or school, get paid $9 an hour and change a life! Reading Partners Reading can change a child’s life! Become a True Blue Neighbors Reading Partner at Kendall-Whittier Elementary, commit to 1 hour a week and a 45 minute training session and you can be the catalyst to launch a child’s education to a higher level.
For additional information on volunteer opportunities, contact Kathy Shelton in the True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center at kathy-shelton@utulsa.edu or call 918-631-3535.