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4 things students should know about their health insurance and COVID-19 before heading to college this fall

15Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, Journalism

4 things students should know about their health insurance and COVID-19 before heading to college this fall

As colleges and universities decide whether or not to reopen their campuses this fall, much of the discussion has focused on the ethics behind the decision and the associated health risks of in-person instruction. As a researcher who studies health insurance policy, I see two important gaps in this discussion: 1) Who should pay the cost of treating the inevitable COVID-19 cases that will occur; and 2) What do college students need to know about their coverage? Here are four things I think every college student – and those who care about them – should know about health insurance coverage when it comes to COVID-19. 1. Weigh coverage options If you’re covered under a student health insurance plan through your school, it may be worth considering whether that is still your best option. The Af...

Humans are hardwired to dismiss facts that don’t fit their worldview – Coronavirus responses highlight how

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, SOCIETY

Humans are hardwired to dismiss facts that don’t fit their worldview – Coronavirus responses highlight how

Bemoaning uneven individual and state compliance with public health recommendations, top U.S. COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci recently blamed the country’s ineffective pandemic response on an American “anti-science bias.” He called this bias “inconceivable,” because “science is truth.” Fauci compared those discounting the importance of masks and social distancing to “anti-vaxxers” in their “amazing” refusal to listen to science. It is Fauci’s profession of amazement that amazes me. As well-versed as he is in the science of the coronavirus, he’s overlooking the well-established science of “anti-science bias,” or science denial. Americans increasingly exist in highly polarized, informationally insulated ideological communities occupying their own information universes. Within segments of t...

Latest legal hurdle to removing Confederate statues in Virginia: The wishes of their long-dead white donors

19Jun

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

POLITICS, SOCIAL JUSTICE

Latest legal hurdle to removing Confederate statues in Virginia: The wishes of their long-dead white donors

A controversial statue of Robert E. Lee will remain in place in Richmond, the former capital of the American Confederacy –- at least temporarily. On June 18, a judge extended an injunction barring the removal of the Confederate general’s statue, stating that “the monument is the property of the people,” not the state of Virginia, which seeks its removal. In early June Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam vowed to dismantle the prominent Lee statue in Richmond, the state capital, following sustained, nationwide protests over police brutality and racism. That plan was blocked by a 10-day court injunction – now extended through late July – based on the petition of a man whose ancestor, Otway Allen, gave Virginia the land the the sculpture sits on. In his petition, William C. Gregory claimed that di...

Obamacare’s insurance safety net protects many of the millions losing their employer-provided health insurance – but not all

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

Obamacare’s insurance safety net protects many of the millions losing their employer-provided health insurance – but not all

The loss of 31 million jobs due to coronvirus has an added downside: 27 million have lost job-based health insurance. The worst may still lie ahead. One study estimated that 25 to 43 million people could lose coverage from their employer. The situation for many Americans feels dramatic. Fortunately, the limited U.S. safety net will be able to cushion some of the fallout for almost 80% through programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. And, of course, all preexisting conditions are still required to be covered by all insurers. Yet millions will be left without coverage. As a professor of public policy, I believe there are four things you need to consider if you’ve been laid off, or if you didn’t have health insurance before th...

More than 1 in 5 Americans are taking care of their elderly, ill and disabled relatives and friends

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIETY

More than 1 in 5 Americans are taking care of their elderly, ill and disabled relatives and friends

I’m studying how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing caregiving. Immunocompromised people, seniors with dementia and anyone with a chronic disease are more likely to experience the most severe COVID-19 symptoms. Caregivers face new worries due to the coronavirus, including whether they can they still assist their vulnerable relatives and friends and what they should do if they themselves or someone they live with gets sick. This quandary affects about 21.3% of Americans. The total number of Americans doing this unpaid work has reached an estimated 53 million in 2019, according to the latest data collected by the National Alliance for Caregiving, an advocacy and research organization, and AARP. That number, which excludes people caring for children without disabilities, is up from 43.5 mill...

5 ways parents can support their college-age children who’ve been forced to return home due to COVID-19

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, EDUCATION

5 ways parents can support their college-age children who’ve been forced to return home due to COVID-19

With many college students forced to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tensions and arguments are bound to flare up. Here, Matthew Mayhew, an education researcher who co-authored a book about the college experience and its effect on students, offers five things parents and families of the many college students who are now learning from home should consider. 1. Empathize Whatever feelings of grief and fear are affecting you are also affecting your college students. Put yourself in their shoes – they are probably under just as much stress, if not more, as they try to complete the semester in unexpected ways. Also, many students might be questioning their decisions to go to college in the first place. Or what school will be like when they return. Can they still choose their roommates...

Older Americans are risking coronavirus exposure to get their medications

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

Older Americans are risking coronavirus exposure to get their medications

It’s been nearly a month since the U.S. government began urging older Americans to stay home to avoid exposure to the new coronavirus. That means many older adults may be running out of their usual 30-day supplies of medication. As the pandemic continues to spread, they increasingly face a difficult challenge: how to get the medications they need without putting themselves at risk. As health services researchers at the University of Michigan, we recently conducted a national survey to see how Americans over age 65 were responding to that dilemma. The results should be a call to action, both for older adults and for those who care about them. A national survey shines light on risky choices The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that older adults and anyone with chronic ...

I Understand Why Black People May Trust Their Intuition Over the Government On COVID-19

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

I Understand Why Black People May Trust Their Intuition Over the Government On COVID-19

I’m ashamed to admit it: I laughed when I saw the news story of the Black woman who wore plastic bags as she picked up a student from a Memphis school where an employee had contact with a patient who had tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus. As a Black woman and a practicing physician who works on Chicago’s South Side, I shouldn’t make light of the way a fellow Black woman attempts to protect herself in a country that often does little to protect her. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends frequent hand-washing, social distancing including avoiding crowds, keeping hands away from the face, and suggests wearing a mask only if you are sick.) Doctors are certainly not immune to panic or fear. But we are trained to remain calm in the face of uncertainty. We a...

Poets Of Color Carry Pushing For Social Change In Their Communities.

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Poets Of Color Carry Pushing For Social Change In Their Communities.

Most often in the United States, when poetry is discussed, what comes to mind for many is the works of Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, T.S. Eliot, even Emily Dickinson. These are referred to as the “classics.” While their works have influenced much of American culture, the works of poets of color have championed revolutionary change, many through social justice movements. Poets such as Joy Harjo, Khalil Gibran, Gloria Anzaldua, Suji Kwock Kim, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou. Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American woman to publish a book of poetry, and was born into slavery, yet many do not know her name. Even when we look globally, many poets were key revolutionaries in the Sandinista National Liberation Front against the Somoza regime and United States oc...

12Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE

Why people post ‘couple photos’ as their social media profile pictures

As you scroll through your Facebook news feed, you see it: Your friend has posted a new profile picture. But instead of a picture of just your friend, it’s a couple photo – a picture of your friend and their romantic partner. “Why would someone choose that as their profile picture?” you wonder. We are social psychology researchers interested in understanding people’s behavior in close relationships and on social media. Our research and that of other scholars provides insight into why people use these types of “I’m part of a couple!” displays on social media. Choosing profile photos that include their romantic partner, posting their relationship status and mentioning their partner in their updates can all be signs of how people feel in their relationship – and may send an important messag...