Safety nets
Watson found a way to avoid excessive medical bills when she didn’t have health insurance or maxed out her university coverage.
“I was lucky that when I didn’t have insurance, I went to Cuyahoga Falls,” she says. “Cuyahoga Falls General has a program, which after you fill out simple forms you can get reduced or free medical care. Since we were below the 150 percent of the federal poverty line, I got free care.”
According to the 2004 Federal Poverty Guidelines, 150 percent of the poverty line for a single-family unit is about $14,000 a year.
To use this normal emergency room, all she had to do is fill out the form.
“I don’t have any income, so I reported none,” she says. “And they went ahead and covered my at least $500 in medical bills that I would have had to pay for myself. I tell all my friends without health insurance to go there.”
DeWeese Health Center also allows students with or without health insurance to get medical care at a lower cost. Students without health insurance use it as a safety net.
“I was sick over New Years, but since I was at home and couldn’t go to the health center, I just had to rest and try to get over it,” Ries says. “I also have used the health center to talk to doctors about a medication I am taking. It is free for me to see the doctor just to get a prescription for more medications.”
Not all services are free at the health center.
“I went through the National Depression Screening Day, and they set up an appointment for a counseling session at the health center,” she says. “They are usually $24 an hour, but after telling them my story, they gave me shorter sessions and reduced the price to like $12.”
Short term plans from companies like Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, are available for a semester for less than $400.
“We have a variety of plans that students tend to buy because they are graduating soon and might be getting a job,” Lebron says. “It is a pretty stripped-down policy, but it gives peace-of-mind coverage.”
The Burr is produced by students at Kent State University twice per academic year.No part of The Burr may be reprinted without permission.