NYPIRG survey indicates N.Y. students need more assistance with healthcare

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In a November student health care survey, the New York Public Interest Research Group found that New York state students’ “broad responses” indicated they need more assistance applying for health insurance, said Kyle Giller, a consumer justice staff attorney at NYPIRG.

Inspired by NYPIRG student leaders, the survey was intended to understand what students already know about health insurance and what resources exist on their campuses, Giller said. Although the survey only had 59 Syracuse University student responses, he said the data provides a “snapshot” of conversations the organization has had about insurance and health care access while tabling on campus.

Of the SU students surveyed, 61% responded that they are “somewhat” familiar with their own health insurance and what it covers. About 54% of responders did not know how to apply for health insurance.

“I think a lot of students might have questions about their insurance and not know where to turn,” Giller said.

NYPIRG tabled at SU and SUNY ESF to ask students to fill out the survey about their experiences with access to health care, said Chet Guenther, NYPIRG’s SU and ESF project coordinator.

Students also noted they wanted to see more advertising for the school’s health insurance resources and receive increased assistance in applying for health insurance, Giller said.

SU requires all full-time, matriculated undergraduate, graduate and law students — including international and SU abroad students — to “maintain health care coverage that meets the standards of the University and applicable laws,” such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to its website. The university offers a student plan through Aetna with an annual cost of $2,474.

Nearly 1,200 people responded to the survey across the state. In terms of health care coverage, SU is doing better than some State University of New York and City University of New York schools, Giller said. Some schools don’t offer a health insurance plan at all, which he said is a “big difference” compared to SU.

“​​(SUNY and CUNY students) are even more concerned about adequate coverage,” he said. “We’re also fighting to increase funding for the CUNY and SUNY systems to ensure that they’re providing a wide range of essential services for students.”

Nearly 48% of all CUNY students get their health insurance through Medicaid, according to Healthy CUNY’s website. A 2018 Healthy CUNY Survey found that 7.9%, or more than 19,000 CUNY undergraduates, lacked health insurance for one year, and 14.7% did not have a regular health care provider.

Several SUNY schools, including SUNY Cortland and SUNY New Paltz, no longer offer or require proof of health insurance. SUNY schools near SU’s campus, such as ESF and SUNY Upstate Medical University, still require insurance for students.

Skylar Botelho, a senior in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and spring intern for NYPIRG, said the survey results reveal the “dire state” of health care accessibility in New York state.

“I think, as a campus community, it pushes us to pursue a more equitable and accessible health care system,” Botelho said. “Many students are likely navigating insurance for the first time, or they’re just completely unaware of their available resources.”

Education is an important first step, she said, but action is “imperative.”

Branden East, a previous public health project coordinator and an SU senior studying biology and political science, said health insurance plans can be difficult to learn about and that some students may not be aware of literacy programs or other available resources.

“There’s definitely an education gap in the sense that a lot of people don’t really know what it looks like to get insurance,” East said. “They don’t really know all the different terms associated with a plan and what covers them and what doesn’t.”

Addressing the survey results, Guenther said NYPIRG is emphasizing consistency in its outreach, including more details to let students know about what issues could arise while navigating health insurance applications and how to combat them, he said.

“​It can’t just be one or two events to let people know, ‘by the way, you have insurance,’ or throwing it into the (campus-wide) emails that I know a lot of students kind of just glaze over,” Guenther said.

Guenther said NYPIRG is also working to compile the data in a manner that can be more widely distributed to student leaders and administrators, such as a fact sheet. Once the fact sheet is developed, Giller said there may be an opportunity for NYPIRG leaders to speak with school administrations to formulate a plan to implement better systems.

The survey is part of NYPIRG’s campaigns to pass the New York Health Act, which he said could create a universal single-payer health care system in the state.

“I think the survey provides undeniable evidence that this is an issue,” Botelho said. “But it’s our collective voices that will, hopefully, drive this resolution and push officials to make these changes.”