At Columbia, the health care debate heats up

The national debate over health care reform was brought to Columbia’s campus last night when the Columbia Political Union hosted a student-led discussion on the issue. Despite the controversy’s national prevalence, health care reform is not a hot topic on campus, which is unfortunate considering the implications reform could have on students when they graduate. Students should understand how changes made to the health care system would affect their own lives, and they should pay attention to health care-related events sponsored by the University and student groups.

Young adults are the fastest growing age group of uninsured people in America. The Commonwealth Fund reports that in 2007, 29 percent of young adults aged 19 to 29 lacked health insurance. Acquiring health care as a young adult, after all, can be incredibly difficult. Though Columbia mandates that all students have health insurance, and provides insurance options for those without it, graduating students are often left with few places to turn after their Columbia plan expires 10 months after they graduate.

Under the current health care system, graduates can make one of two choices. They can depend on their parents and try to stay on their insurance plan, or they can get jobs that offer health care benefits. Not all students can choose the first option, as many states do not allow dependents to be covered by their parents’ plans after they graduate. And not all students have the second option, either—only 20 percent of 2009 college graduates looking for a job have found one.

Current reform efforts could help. The bill that the House of Representatives passed on Nov. 7 would create a health insurance exchange through which people could compare plans and policies, including a public option. The House bill would also allow dependents to be covered under their parents’ plans until age 27. But these measures are not set in stone. The Senate and the House have yet to agree on a single version of the bill, which could change dramatically in the coming weeks.
Columbia students­—not only political science majors—should be aware of what is going on in Washington. What Congress decides will affect both their access to insurance and the quality of the insurance that will be available to them.

Columbians already have access to many health-related resources. Every year, for example, Student Health Services at Barnard offer a series of tutorials on how students can find health care after college. Columbia and Barnard should expand and publicize such offerings. As future employees and tax-paying citizens who will need health insurance throughout their lives, students simply can not afford to be uninformed.

Amanda Parsons recused herself from the writing of this editorial. Editorial board members recuse themselves when a potential conflict of interest prevents them from being impartial on the subject of an editorial.