As health care reform grips the nation’s branches of government, U students are waiting to see what the price tag will ultimately say.
Ian Jensen is like many 20-year-olds at the U in that he is covered by his parents’ health care plan. However, according to his parents’ health care plan, he will have to start paying for his own health insurance when he turns 22.
Jensen, a junior in computer engineering, is starting to plan his health care carefully. Worrying about the potential change that could come to the health care system in the United States, Jensen said he fears that by the time the changes go into effect, he will have to pay more for coverage than he would be paying now.
“Back in high school, I was out most of my senior year because of medical reasons,” he said.
Jensen underwent a $20,000 lung surgery in 2007. Thanks to his family’s health plan, Jensen’s parents only paid about $3,000 out-of-pocket, but the surgery dramatically raised their rates.
Although he said he believes his health problems are behind him, he still worries about being hospitalized under his own coverage.
“Before, there were healthy people taking care of all the paperwork,” Jensen said. “When I’m older, I may not be able to manage my finances as carefully.”
Since Jensen’s current health plan stipulates that he is only eligible for coverage under his parents for the next two years, he is planning on getting his own coverage a year before he’s on his own, at age 21. In case he runs into problems with his medical history and can’t find health coverage quickly, he will still have his parents’ plan to fall back on, he said.
Although Jensen won’t get full coverage like his parents because of how expensive it is, he will get “enough to manage,” he said.
Jensen, a civilian who works as an engineer at Hill Air Force Base in Layton, qualifies for benefits offered to federal employees through health maintenance organizations. However, because of his past condition, he chose an option that allows him to choose how much money goes to each type of coverage, letting him pay the largest amount toward cardiovascular coverage in case his previous problems occur again.
Jensen isn’t worried about the minimal aspects of health coverage, such as the flu and the common cold, he said, but instead he focuses on being prepared for the worst.
