| EDITORIAL: Students' insurance plan should cover HPV vaccine
It's a staggering statistic: 45 percent of 14-to-19-year-old women are infected with a human papillomavirus, according to a study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Here's two more: Four forms of HPV, a sexually transmitted infection that can be passed on even if partners use a condom, are the culprits in about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of genital wart cases.
But there's some good news. A new vaccine protects against those four forms of the virus. The bad news is that it's expensive, totaling $360. And the worst is that our student insurance plan-which we are required to purchase if we don't carry coverage that meets the state's requirements-doesn't cover it.
In fact, the Qualifying Student Health Insurance Plan, run by MEGA Life and Health Insurance Plan, doesn't cover any preventive immunizations, despite well-established evidence that they improve health while lowering long-term healthcare costs.
Got insurance?
The premiums for USU's student health insurance are dropping 15 percent next year due to decreased claims during the 2005-2006 school year, according to the Health and Wellness Center's insurance coordinator.
Noelle Hansen said the insurance company that USU contracts with wanted to help the students out since USU had a year with lower-than-usual claims.
"Since we actually had a good year, the insurance company wanted to give back," Hansen said. "We hope this move will help students feel like they can purchase the university's insurance."
USU offers a basic health insurance plan through FirstUnderwriters, which is available to all university students taking six or more credits and their dependents, according to the Student Health and Wellness Center Web site.
Health Insurance Promotions Fair
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) at Virginia Tech will hold its first Health Insurance Promotions Fair April 9 in the Graduate Life Center Multipurpose Room. Students, as well as members of the community, are being strongly encouraged to attend free of charge. &ldqou;People should come because this is a great opportunity to learn about health care insurance, which is something that everyone needs,&rdqou; said Jiadi Wang, senior biochemistry major at Virginia Tech and AMSA Vice President. The fair is being held to inform individuals about the importance of obtaining health insurance and will feature guest speakers from multiple insurance companies. These speakers will present twice on the day of the event – the first at 2:30 p.m. for students and 3 p.m.
Utah State University Student Health Insurance Costs Decline
LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- The price of student health insurance at Utah State University will decrease about 15 percent next school year, university officials said. The lower costs are a result of fewer claims being made in 2005 and 2006. The school's least expensive health insurance plan will drop from $2,093 per individual to $1,780, and from $7,305 per couple to $6,210 for the 2007-2008 school year. USU insurance coordinator Noell Hansen said he hopes insurance costs will remain stable. "I hope that we wouldn't see a significant increase where the price would jump right back up in a year," Hansen said. "It's hard to say because it will depend on usage (of the system)." The lower insurance costs come as student leaders discuss asking administrators to make student health insurance mandatory.
Blue Cross of California fined $1 million for canceling policies
Have you been dropped by Blue Cross or any other health insurance provider? Share your experience with us at The Desert Sun.
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As Health Costs Soar, More Find Care Overseas
WHEN SHE WAS diagnosed with a fibroid tumor last year, Kathleen Dodds found herself in a bind. She didn't have health insurance because she couldn't afford it. With no insurance, the surgery she needed was prohibitively expensive. "They were quoting me $30,000, tentatively, paid out of pocket," says Dodds, 42, a Portland, Ore.-based horse trainer. "There was no way I could afford it here." But 7,200 miles away in India was an affordable solution. Through IndUSHealth, a company in Raleigh, N.C., that arranges medical care in India for U.S. citizens, Dodds flew out to the Apollo hospital in Delhi, where she had a successful hysterectomy that allowed her to return to her horseback riding students just two-and-a-half weeks later. The total cost: just under $10,000, including round-trip airfare, transportation to and from the hospital, a one-week hospital stay where she says she was treated with more care and attention than she had ever experienced in the U.S., capped by 10 days at a "gorgeous hotel." "It was actually a pleasant situation, considering that I was having major surgery," she says.
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