Morgan Krueger and Grace Caster, “PIP PIP PURRAY: A Hypothetical Panther Insurance Program (PIP) at UWM”
Mentor: Rose Hennessy Garza, Public Health, Public Health (Joseph J. Zilber School of)
Poster #154
Access to health insurance is a significant but oftentimes forgotten struggle among full-time students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). Some students are unable to rely on their family’s plans and must either work, pay out of pocket or apply for government assistance in hopes it will give them adequate coverage. Some students are also not eligible by age for family plans or have uninsured families. According to Brady Alexander with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, as of 2022, 15.6% of adults aged 19 to 34 still experience the highest rates of uninsurance. Medical costs place a financial burden on students, oftentimes affecting students’ mental health, job security, academic performance and well-being. Like full-time employees, full-time students dedicate significant time to their education without comparable healthcare benefits. To address the lack of healthcare coverage amongst full time students at UWM, an informal literature review will take place to identify evidence-based strategies, review recommendations, and apply health behavior theory, including the Theory of Planned Behavior. Existing insurance programs will be reviewed to consider different strategies and perspectives. These findings will be utilized to create a logic model the program will follow. The logic model will provide structure and help to guide the program. This proposed UWM program will aim to offer affordable insurance, insurance workshops and linkage to care counselors. The goal is to create a sustainable program which would provide comprehensive health insurance to full-time students dedicating their time to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, to ensure their mental, physical and academic success. Public health programming should consider age and income disparities to further expand student health insurance coverage. Implementing this program would help establish better healthcare access, understanding and outcomes for future students.