The health care reform bill signed into law March 23 revamps the nation's health care system, addressing problems related to the medical coverage of the nation's uninsured as well as the nation's youth, but questions remain about whether further reforms will be needed to deal with mounting health care costs.
"How we proceed from here will determine whether health care reform in the U.S. is real or just an experimental point in time," said Carolyn Engelhard, assistant professor of Medical Education and Health Policy.
The current bill deals with many issues, several of which will impact college-age students right away. All young adults will be allowed to remain on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26. Proponents say this will work to lower costs, as the cost of staying within a family plan is relatively low. Furthermore, students will not have to buy their own plans, easing their transition into the work force.
Law student Jessica Garcia said she sees a definitive benefit to this piece of the bill.
"I have a number of friends who will now be able to stay on their parents' insurance plans," she said. "To me, not having to see students frustrated with insurance plans at the start of each school year is a clear advantage."
Nevertheless, opponents of the legislation, which passed a bitterly divided House of Representatives 219-212, say the reform bill is an unnecessary intrusion of government into the lives of citizens and fails to address concerns which initially brought about calls for reform. Because the bill requires citizens to either buy insurance or pay a fee, some opponents feel as if the government is placing illegal mandates on the people.
"The health reform bill was an unprecedented, unnecessary, trillion dollar power-grab of the federal government on the health industry and the student loan industry," said Graduate Arts & Sciences student Michael Marquardt, who is pursuing a dual master of business administration and public health degree. "While it certainly extends insurance to those with pre-existing conditions and allows young adults to stay on their family plans longer, the reform bill missed many opportunities to adjust the hyper-utilization of the health care system, which is arguably the root cause of skyrocketing health care costs."
But supporters of the bill, including Engelhard, assert that further reforms may be needed to address these cost-related issues, given that the health care industry cost taxpayers more than 17 percent of the gross domestic product in 2008.
"The just-passed health care reform legislation is an important first step," Engelhard said. "But it is just one step toward the goal of designing a system that is accessible, affordable, value-driven and provides patient-centered quality health care. Acknowledging the limitations of this bill, particularly its lack of cost controls, and taking responsibility for amending it over time, will bring us closer to the desired health care goal that has eluded the U.S. for over a century."
Engelhard said she believes University students - especially those preparing to graduate - must stay involved in health care reform moving forward, as they will be most affected by its reach as they enter the work force.
"Where we stand now, at the precipice of real change, was captured by Winston Churchill in 1942, when he stated, 'Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning,'" Engelhard said.
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