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Show 11 Friday, Dec. 9,2005 797-1762 statesman@cc.usu.edu www.utahstatesman.com Utah Statesman Can you feel the pressure? If you're reading this, you're holding a copy of Friday's Utah Statesman in your hands. You can see the photographs and the stories and the errors you love to point out to your friends. But what you don't see are stir-crazy editors, students like yourselves, throwing papers and books on the floor in fits of helplessness, and then crawling under their desks and silently crying - the result of yet another Thursday in a windowless office. Our mantra: Give us a holiday, or give us death. Kwanzaa. Hanukkah. Christmas. New Years. Arbor Day. Anything. Anything. Anything. You're probably feeling it, too - the weight of the semester's end resting firmly on your shoulders and causing scoliosis of your spine. You're tired, but there are tests. You're angry, but there are essays. You're weeping, but there are classes and quizzes and review sessions. You're strung out on coffee and Red Bulls and Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. There's no time to eat. Just cram. You are about to snap. If you're thinking about using that red and green paper chain that counts down the days until Christmas to tie a noose, you're not alone. But don't do it. It's not worth it. Just hold on for a couple weeks. Remember, we're all in this together. Good luck with finals and Happy Holidays. Staff Editor in Chief Brooke Nelson News Editor Aaron Falk Assistant News Editor Marie MacKay Features Editor Our View The case for requiring Utah students to have health insurance Cheaper premiums and the ability to pay for school during crisis The term "mandatory insurance" is becoming a regular phrase for many universities in the state of Utah, including Utah State University, and there are many reasons why. Utah State University is genuinely interested in the well being and success of our students and requiring health insurance ) Guest would financially protect students and help Column: to retain those who experience unexpected Noell. Hansen \ medical problems. A surprising number of students are seen by the insurance coordinator at the Student Health & Wellness Center each semester after being diagnosed with a significant medical condition or that have been involved in an accident and are facing thousands of dollars worth of medical costs and do not have insurance to help cover those costs. Although students have access to many services at the Student Health & Wellness Center, it may be necessary for them to have an MRI or cat scan to determine a diagnosis and this service cannot be provided at the Student Health & Wellness Center and can cost about $1,000 to $1,500 on average. Students may also need to be referred to an off-campus specialist for further care, which may require multiple visits and can cost a considerable amount of money. I don't think students understand that choosing not to carry some form of health insurance can possibly afied them for the rest of their lives and unfortunately, I nave far too many examples to prove this. So, why should universities require that their students carry health insurance? There are multiple reasons. It offers some protection for the student's financial investment in a college education by protecting them in case of an unexpected situation and allowing them to continue with their schooling even in the event of needing medical treatment. It contributes to education in that it promotes personal responsibility, as many uninsured individuals assume that if necessary, they will receive care and "someone" will pay for it. It serves the interests of students by improving access to health care which may be necessary for treatment outside of the Student Health & Wellness Center. It reduces premium prices for the student health insurance plan making it more affordable to students who choose to purchase the student plan. It also serves the interest of the institution to reduce liability. The voluntary health insurance plan at USU offered to the students at this time is currently in a death spiral and falling fast. Since 2002 USU has seen continual rate increases while the number of students enrolled with the plan has decreased from an average of 1576 students to 349. Rate increases can be attributed to adverse selection in our plan, which means that the majority of students who do purchase the health insurance tend to have chronic health problems and therefore make high utilization of the plan. Insurance plans are meant to share risk, but they must be financially stable themselves in order to stay in business. A break-even plan would use about 77 cents to pay claims and 23 cents for administrative costs. Currently, in the voluntary student health plan, for every $1 put into the plan, $1.06 is paid in claims (not including administrative costs), and has been as high as $1.21 paid in claims over the past five years. Increasing premiums, decreasing enrollment, high utilization and having a voluntary plan has created a lack of insurance INSURANCE see page 13 Steve Shinney Assistant Features Editor •Emma Tippetts Sports Editor Andrea Edmunds Assistant Sports Editor Bryan Hinton Diversions Editor Matt Wright Copy Editor Letters to the Editor Vegans and activists have no exit strategy milk than their offspring can all swans are white. It consume. They would expe- does not matter what I rience painful engorgement. believe about swans, just Many domestic animals are that I believe my eyes. ill equipped to fend for them- If the data fail to reject Editor, selves, and many would die the hypothesis, then it is corroborated (i.e. tentaIn the Wednesday, [Dec. without help. 7] edition of the Statesman, I have yet to come across tively accepted). In reality Moss-Holmes presented a an animal rights activist that it may be impossible to well defended argument in has a well thought out "exit check every swan now, favor of veganism and animal strategy." I have tried to paint therefore data collected rights. However, I would like the most likely scenario in the future could reject to ask the animal rights com- according to my knowledge a previously corroborated munity some questions. of the assumptions present- hypothesis. I will start with the assump- ed by Moss-Holmes and What testable predictions presented by Moss- my knowledge of domestic tions (deductions) does Holmes: we should be con- and wild animal behavior intelligent design make cerned with animal welfare (I would appreciate correc- about future data? None. and rights, that animals feel tions). So why are there a few pain and should not experiIn conclusion, which rogue scientists who supence it, and they deserve is worse for the animals? port this idea? One answer comfort. Another statement Allowing them to die by the is that not everything a I will consider is the amount most humane ways a slaugh- scientist does is science. of land used/damaged for ter house can use, or to die Wheift talking about, raising meat animals. by starvation, disease, kill- intelligent design as an Let's say tomorrow every- ings by nonhuman carnivores alternative to evolution, one agrees to stop meat con- and as road kill? these people are promotsumption. What do we do ing beliefs, not conductwith the animals? Since they Stephen Tueller ing science. are no longer economic comThis is why their argumodities, someonewill have ments end up in books to pay for their comfortable Evolution isn't about and on web pages but not and pain free existence. Who beliefs, but testing in scientific journals. This would pay? confuses the public into Maintaining these anithinking that there actumals would be economically Dear Editor, ally is a debate, in the infeasible, so we would have scientific literature, about to let the animals go free. One major problem "with whether or not evolution If animals have rights, we the "debate" about evolu- happens. There isn't. It shouldn't interfere with their tion is that one side seems to does. right to reproduce. think this is about belief, but Finally I would like to These newly freed animals the other side knows that this pointoutthat reject! ngevowould quickly over-popu- is about empirical data and lution without conflicting late, which would do more hypothesis testing. data is not just anti-evoto consume land resources, Scientists may have beliefs lution, it is anti-science. not free them up and feed the about how things work, and Agriculture researchers in world as Moss-Holmes sug- their beliefs might direct Russia made this mistake gests. Then they would die them toward different hypoth- decades ago when they by starvation, disease, and eses. But science does not rejected Mendel's hypothkilling sprees of wild car- stop there (in fact it hasn't eses about inheritance nivores and ddmestic dogs even started yet). Science (a major component of that would likely get in on requires us to deduce tests evolution). The relsult was the scene (by the way, how of a hypothesis, and collect major crop losses and does the animal rights com- data that could conflict with famine. A munity feel about carnivores? it. How do you think the Do they need to change their For example if my hypoth- next flu vaccine would diet?). esis were that all swans are be created if researchers What about the pain ani- white, then I predict that it used intelligent design as mals would feel without would be impossible for me their model? \ human intervention? For to find a non-white swan. If example, modern dairy ani- I find a black swan I must Eric O'Neil mals produce much more reject the hypothesis that Lindsay Kite Photo Editor Michael Sharp Assistant Photo Editor Jessica Alexander Editorial Board Brooke Nelson Katie Ashton Aaron Falk Bryan Hinton Marie MacKay Michael Sharp Steve Shinney About letters • Letters should be limited to 350 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons oi good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number. Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups — or more than one individual — must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters — no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to editor® statesman.usu.edu or click on www.utahstatesman.com for more letter guidelines and a submission box. Online poll Do you plan to participate in commencement when you graduate? • Yes, college wouldn't feel complete without it • No, it's a pointless ceremony • Yes, a family member is making me • No, I can't afford the cap and gown Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman.com to cast your vote. Check out these links on www.utahstatesman.com: Local TV listings Faculty evaluations Comics Activities and events Classifieds Weather Archives |