This is a response to Rachel Karp's Feb. 25 letter. First off, Ms. Karp, I am very sorry about James' situation. No doubt he is still, and will probably remain for years, in considerable pain and some disability, even though his medical bills were covered. He is certainly fortunate to be alive. He might also be wondering "Why me?" - why he got hurt so much when the majority of students probably do not get into car accidents.
Let's put aside the possibility that the only reason his father's insurance only paid half was that his University of Illinois insurance might have provided duplicate coverage. You know more about this than I do. You are certainly right, and I have never denied, that people who choose to do without insurance are taking big risks. I myself have had health insurance whenever possible.
You are mistaken, however, when you say that people should be forced to avoid these risks. I believe your fellow students are adults who are capable of making decisions like this on their own. I, for one, think they should consider James' situation carefully when making the decision. But it is their choice to make, just like many other adult - and risky - decisions college students and other young adults make for the first time.
You are certainly right in that "there are greater financial burdens than rent and tuition" and that medical bills can be among them. Unfortunately, you have confused risks with certainties. When someone makes a decision on insurance, he or she knows that there is a small possibility of a catastrophe, whereas there is a certainty of serious problems if the rent or tuition doesn't get paid on time. Most people take into account not only the worst-case scenario but also the likelihood of that scenario happening as opposed to the costs they will pay if they provide for that scenario, and they should. If you drive, cross any streets, participate in sports or do anything else that has risks, you know what I mean.
Last but not least, you said AU's health insurance should be much less expensive. I don't know enough about it to say one way or the other. I do think that if the premiums were reduced - and again, I'm not saying it necessarily should or shouldn't be - more people could afford to buy it and would. For the others, we need to rely on our powers of persuasion to show them why it is a good idea to have insurance, not force them into avoiding things we happen to think are too risky.
Jeffrey Deutsch
Alumnus
