Yuri Castano | A plan to save lives, time and money

In the fight to provide health insurance for Pennsylvanians, Governor Ed Rendell announced a new health care initiative last week, "Prescription for Pennsylvania." The program will attempt to provide quality, affordable health care for 767,000 uninsured adult Pennsylvanians.

Issues of health insurance may seem distant to the average undergraduate. As temporary citizens of the state, however, caring about the health needs of fellow Pennsylvanians is a civic responsibility and moral duty.

Students also stand to reap great benefits from Rendell's plan.

Uninsured Pennsylvanians are "not just working poor from inner cities but students who, out of college, find themselves in a situation having to pay $7,000 to $8,000 for a health insurance plan," said Bioethics professor Arthur Caplan.

Under Rendell's plan, anyone uninsured making more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level - $29,400 for an individual - could participate in the proposed Cover All Pennsylvanians (CAP), which would offer affordable basic health coverage.

Paying the full cost of the premium, $280 a month, or $3,360 in CAP premiums a year, could make a big impact in the life of a recent graduate unable to afford a $7,000 or $8,000 insurance plan. The governor's proposal would also allow Pennsylvanian parents to cover their young adult children as dependants, up to age 30, on their own plans.

Graduates on the other side of the spectrum, who land a high paying job with comfortable health insurance coverage, also stand to benefit.

"Every year, Pennsylvania businesses, consumers and taxpayers pay at least $7.6 billion for unnecessary and avoidable health care costs," according to Rendell's Jan. 17 press release. The press release also stated that "Pennsylvanians pay another $1.4 billion to help cover the costs of treating people who are uninsured and underinsured."

Rendell's targeted elimination of needless costs, and push to expand insurance coverage could keep money in future graduates' wallets and bank accounts.

The beauty of Rendell's plan lies in its ability to convincingly communicate that the moral path on issues of health is inseparable from the path to economic prosperity and community health.

The governor's plan is extensive, it has 47 points tackling issues from primary care to nutritious school breakfasts.

Julie Sochalski, associate faculty at the School of Nursing, said that "as someone who has been involved in health care efforts for a long time ... I am pleased to see the governor look at the problem in such a comprehensive manner and choose a multifaceted plan which addresses all the issues."

One of the more pressing issues is accessibility. Rendell's press secretary said that "so many people are going to emergency rooms for care because they have no where else to go."

Caplan noted that "we have too many people waiting too long to receive treatment in Philadelphia, you have people with diabetes being seen by doctors at a stage when their leg needs to be amputated rather than at the outset of the disease."

One way Rendell's plan would address this, according to Kelchner, would be to "give people more primary access care and less emergency room care."

Some are hesitant to praise the plan until they see it in action.

Bettina Hoerlin, professor of Urban Studies was concerned about how broad the scope of the plan was. Referencing Paul Simon's song "50 Ways to Lose Your Lover," Hoerlin said that "this plan seems like 47 ways to leave your Health Care system."

The diversity of Rendell's program serves to advance the ethical imperative to promote community health on all fronts, recognizing that an all-inclusive approach can translate into increased cost reduction.

This is embodied in the governor's promotion of a smoke free state and advancement of nutrition education.

"The health care costs related to tobacco use and adult obesity in Pennsylvania totaled more than $9 billion" and "second-hand smoke is responsible for the death of as many as 3,000 Pennsylvania nonsmokers every year," according to the press release.

Tackling second hand smoke mortality and nutrition-related issues at large would coincide with dramatic savings in health care costs. A plan which stuck to hospital wards would miss these gains.

If people stand to lose a leg due to lack of insurance, then students ought to care about health care reform. As the plan is negotiated with legislators in the coming months, we should all eagerly await the outcome of that process and applaud the governor for taking the prerogative on the first full day of his second term to make the health of Pennsylvanians a top priority.

Yuri Castano is a College sophomore from Mexico City, Mexico. His e-mail address is castano@dailypennsylvanian.com. Bringing the n Back appears on Wednesdays.

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