health insurance choices

Executive summary of white paper An Executive Summary of White Paper: How international students are under-informed regarding their health insurance choices. (See below) * Should be able to stand alone. * Should be targeted at the busy executive who wants the overview before deciding if she wants to read the whole document. This person may not even read the whole document, so will base her decision only on the executive summary. * When I read it, I should understand what you are ‘selling,’ who your audience is, and what your primary arguments are. There should even be some statistics. Don’t treat it like the back of a mystery novel; lay all the ‘spoilers’ out there. * Can nicely fit on one page and can include an image you use later in the main part of your white paper. NOTE: If you do duplicate an image, it still only counts as one image for your image requirements. * Is not an introduction, although it may include one. It is more like an abstract. Writing the Executive Summary An executive summary is a brief document typically directed at top-level managers who sometimes make decisions based upon a reading of this summary alone. As a result, the executive summary must be concise but comprehensive, meaning that it must present in summary form all major sections of the main report, such as: purpose problem methods of analyzing the problem results of analysis recommendations To repeat, because of the critical role it plays, the executive summary is often the first and only part read by key decision makers. Therefore, it must be designed so that it can be read independently of the main document. Typically, figures and tables are not referenced in the executive summary. Uncommon terminology, symbols and acronyms are avoided. If the executive summary is sufficiently persuasive, the entire proposal will then be read in full. Therefore, your summary is key to the success of your proposal and should reflect these characteristics: Perfect Miniaturization. The executive summary should contain the same sections in the same order as the full report. Major Findings Only. Because it is a distilled version of the full report, the summary should include only the proposal’s principal points and major evidence. Most charts, tables, and deep-level analysis are reserved for full proposal. Proportional. The executive summary should typically be only 10% the length of the full proposal it distills. Therefore, the executive summary for a 10-page proposal would be 1 page or less. Stand Alone. The summary should be written in a way that it can be read as a stand-alone document. Before submitting it, allow a test subject to read the summary. The subject should be able to give to you the basics of the full proposal from one reading of the summary. Flawless. Like a job resume, even the most minor error of proofreading or grammar can spell rejection. SAMPLE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Executive Summary Purpose of Report The City of Savannahs recycling program was designed and implemented in order to meet the citys civic responsibilities and to comply with the State of Georgias Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act as it relates to aluminum, glass and plastic containers. The purpose of this report is to: Determine the degree of public awareness of the recycling program Suggest ways to increase citizen participation in the program Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the communitys current recyclying habits and to ascertain the degree of participation in citys program. A total of 1,041 responses were analyzed. Because Savannahs recyclying program collects only aluminim, glass and plastic containers, these were the only materials included in the survey. Findings and Conclusions A substantial majority (64%) of respondents rated recycling as Important or Very Important. A lesser percentage (38%) indicated that they currently recycle at work. An even smaller percentage (17%) particicpate in the citys program. Two major reasons for their non-participation were highlighted: 1 Not knowing the location of the citys recycling centers 2 Lack of convenient acccess to the recycling centers Results of this study indicate that citizens view recycling as important and will do so when convenient. However, locations of the citys recycling centers are either unknown or too inconvenient for the program to achieve the desired level of participation. A substantial effort needs to be made to overcome these barriers. Recommendations for Increasing Participation Cost-effective, scalable recommendations include: Increasing promotion of the citys recycling program through a coordinated campaign of PSAs. Relocating recycling bins and adding attractive signage Doubling the number of recycling bins Developing an incentive program for business participation Subheadings The summarys subheadings should reflect the reports main divisions. Subheadings of the executive summary should not be worded the same as those of the main report. Purpose Statement Provide purpose of the report in a concise format using present tense. Findings & Conclusions Results are reported in condensed form without reference to tables or appendices. Lists are used when possible. Recommendations Recommendations should also be in list form as much as possible. THE WHITE PAPER: How international students are under-informed regarding their health insurance choices. Executive summary This study explores the apparent barriers to the use of health insurance for international students and establishes the discriminating factors between the seekers and non-seekers of health insurance information. The expense and complexities linked to health care in the US make international health insurance for students and their family members a challenge. The paper offers basic information aimed at helping address the unique requirements of international students in the area of health care and health insurance. To accomplish this, the study evaluates international college students across different universities, insurance requirements and health insurance options. The findings indicate that campus health providers as well as the staff involved in serving international students should work together as they address similar basic issues. Introduction College is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. As students attend schools away from home and family, they are often requested to make decisions on their health, social lives, and academic work. In an effort to assist students grow and adapt, college staff and administrators make efforts to prevent risky behaviors and promote healthy life styles. However, health insurance, which underlies most health concerns does not receive enough attention. Prescribing to a health insurance comes with benefits such as access to timely care and helps cover expenses linked to medical procedures and check-ups, even in case of sudden injury or illness. In spite of these benefits, past studies imply that college students lack adequate knowledge on this vital topic (Gordon & Brown, 2016). The inadequate levels of knowledge may arise from the student not feeling that such information is necessary, since most rely on the health insurance plans of their parents throughout college. Beyond the concern if college students have enough insurance knowledge, there is the more pressing need to consider international students (Mackert et al., 2017). Most international students, who are not familiar with the healthcare system in the U.S. face the daunting prospect of trying to navigate the system in a second language. According to Zysberg (2005), international students perceive the cost of the U.S. medical services as very expensive and unaffordable. Also, they consider access to the United States medical service and dealing with insurance-related activities like filing claims to be complex. Owing to the supposed complexity and lack of knowledge on how to handle health insurance, international students may postpone timely medical care till they return home, or in some circumstances visit the emergency room even when emergency treatment is not necessary. Although no past study examines disparity in health insurance information and use between international and domestic students, literature suggests that immigrants face a lot of difficulties when seeking and understanding health-related information compared to domestic students. Also, international students may experience difficulties arising from their cultural experiences, healthcare, language, and education system (Mackert et al., 2017). Previous approaches In the , health care is expensive. International students and their family members are not able to depend on government help for medical expenses since few states support even partial Medicaid for nonimmigrants. Generally, international students have to pay for their medical expense unless they have a health insurance plan. If an international student does not have health insurance, the student has responsibility of paying the entire cost of care. The common categories of visa in the US for academic duties include: F-1, which caters for academic students; J-1, which caters for exchange visitors and M-1, which caters for vocational students. Among the 3, the law requires only J exchange visitors along with their dependents to maintain health insurance. The regulations set by the United States Department of Homeland Security for F and M students do not impose precise insurance requirement for students as well as their dependents. Nevertheless, the Department of State guide in the Foreign Affairs manual points out that although F and M students along with their dependents do not require travel or . medical insurance to be eligible for a visa, many universities require international students to have health insurance (Stokdyk, Wang & Fosnocht, 2013). The J exchange visitor regulations require both J-1 and J-2 nonimmigrants to be insured in case of sickness or accident during their stay in the exchange visitor program. The health insurance should offer the minimum coverage as stipulated in the regulations that includes at least $50,000 medical benefits per illness or accident; $7,500 repatriation of remains; $10,000 for medical expenses for evacuation of exchange visitor to their home country; and a maximum of $500 deductible per illness or accident. The present exchange visitor directives also enforce several restrictions on the secured insurance policies to meet the needs of the regulation. The requirements include: may wait a period for the pre-existing conditions as established by the industry standards; may provide co-insurance which the visitor may have to pay a maximum of 25% of covered benefits per illness or accident; and unreasonable exclusion of coverage for dangers inherent to activities of the exchange program. Also, there are regulations that the exchange program sponsors have to comply with such as providing advice to exchange visitors regarding insurance needs and termination of exchange program for a visitor who willingly fails to maintain the necessary insurance or makes material misrepresentation about such coverage to the sponsor (Stokdyk, Wang & Fosnocht, 2013). International students health insurance options in the US Normally, international students and their accompanying family members have 3 choices to establish adequate health insurance coverage: 1. School-based health insurance: Offered by universities, colleges, or other institutions of higher education via a health insurance company. Some institutions demand all students who enroll and visiting scholars buy the school-based health insurance plan. Schools may provide a different health insurance plan targeting international scholars/students or even have in place a single plan for both domestic and international students. Other institutions of higher learning allow international scholars to renounce the mandatory school health insurance policy by offering proof of their private insurance that meets specific minimum requirements. On the other hand, there are institutions that have health insurance policy in place but it is not mandatory. 2. Buy health insurance plan from a private insurance company in the US that meets the minimum requirements of the institution where applicable. 3. Come with a health insurance plan from their home country that meet the minimum requirements of the institution (Stokdyk, Wang & Fosnocht, 2013). It is challenging for an international student to identify policies that provide sufficient coverage in case of injury or illness. With regard to the scope of coverage, reviewing the American College Health Associations (ACHA) standards regarding student health insurance program can be helpful. ACHA recommends students to purchase insurance plans that provide adequate and suitable coverage that includes but not limited to coverage of preventive health services, prescription medications, coverage of dependents, and continuity of coverage (Stokdyk, Wang & Fosnocht, 2013). New findings Most of the challenges of offering health care to international students involved in educational exchange programs are largely unaddressed. Thus, there is need for consistent collection of reliable information that will clarify the unique needs of international students in order to create programs which serve them better. Limited resources as well as the lack of studies by international student advisers alongside health professionals in campuses mean that data regarding health concerns by students and families on US colleges are scarce. Also, it is rare for abroad education advisers to report or track consequences stemming from illness on academic pursuit. To remedy this deficiency, there is need to carry out an assessment of health needs among international students (NAFSA, 2002). To inspire college students to be active in the search for health insurance information, fostering the notion that they are capable of learning how health insurance works is important as a way of avoiding a situation where international students get in trouble for not being knowledgeable about health insurance. The study findings indicate that health educators in universities and providers must work to promote self-efficacy perception among students to use and seek health insurance information as they engage in persuasive campaigns. One strategy of increasing self-efficacy perception among students is through the provision of opportunities for practicing how to use and seek health-related knowledge in orientation sessions. For instance, a scenario-based problem-solving circumstance or the use of specific cases enable students to experience the feelings of worry and practice ways of seeking and using health insurance information that could motivate active participation seeking health insurance-related information (Mackert et al., 2017). International students perceive the lack of the knowledge on the processes involved health insurance as a barrier to accessing health insurance. Thus, health practitioners in campus should assist students comprehend how health insurance work by providing clear explanations of the terms associated with health insurance. Also, they should offer specific examples of every term and emphasize the financial facets of health insurance. For international students, as may be anticipated of a students comfort with second language, their language ability is a considerable discriminant factor that differentiates international students who are information seekers from non-seekers. This findings amplifies the importance of providing clear explanations of health insurance terms and giving examples of each term. Also, this finding suggests that having some health information in one or more non English languages that are common among international scholars may be valuable (Mackert et al., 2017). Another means of motivating new international scholars to seek and obtain information on health insurance is peer mentoring. This would be a great way of supporting new international students by using peer mentors from their home country to help them navigate and use the United States health insurance system. This way, the new students will get to know the difference between the US insurance system and the insurance in their respective home countries. As well, peer mentors can share their experiences when providing health insurance information to peer mentees. As well, in orientation activities targeting new international students, the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) offices can present information regarding the use and understanding of health insurance. The presentations need to be clear and in accessible language that defines unfamiliar terms. Also, information sessions can be provided to continuing students who seek health information to comprehend the significance of having health insurance. These sessions are normally smaller compared to the large-scale presentations during orientation, which is a great opportunity for coming up with real-world circumstances. Having been in the US, the continuing students may have unique concerns regarding barriers they encountered and can be addressed in the session. In addition, ISSS needs to have a designated staff to address student concerns as they increase their health insurance knowledge. International students share motivations on seeking health insurance information as well as barriers to utilizing health insurance. The findings suggest that college health educators, staff, and providers in international centers needs to work together in tackling these issues (Mackert et al., 2017). Conclusion In spite of the difficulties associated with the issue of health insurance among international students, both health care providers and institution administrators acknowledge that basic coverage is required to make sure students do not grapple with substandard treatment or financial ruin in case of a catastrophic illness or accident. In the US, international students are required by the federal regulations that govern J Exchange Visitors and dependents to have a health insurance that meet the minimum State Departments requirements. Also, F student regulations have similar requirements for international students. Apart from certain level of deductibles and coverage, the regulations set by the State Department demand coverage for medical evacuation as well as repatriation of remains in case of demise. Internationals students can access health insurance through 3 options . through school-based insurance plan, private insurance company and coming with an insurance plan from the home country that meets the minimum requirements of the institution. Regardless of whether an institution provides health insurance for international students or not, the adviser to international students should know how the health insurance functions in the US and able to assist students address health insurance needs. References Gordon, D. M., & Brown, S. (2016). Personal Financial and Economic Issues for College Students. Journal of Economics and Public Finance, 2(1), 27. Mackert, M., Koh, H., Mabry-Flynn, A., Chaplin, S., & Beal, A. (2017). Domestic and international college students: Health insurance information seeking and use. Journal of International Students, 7(3), 542-554. NAFSA. (2002). Optimizing Health Care in International Educational Exchange. Retrieved February 27, 2019 from Stokdyk, B., Wang, C., & Fosnocht, D. (2013). NAFSA KCISS Practice Resource Health Insurance and Health Care for Your International Students and Scholars. Retrieved February 27, 2019 from Zysberg, L. (2005). Nontraditional vulnerable populations: The case of international students. In M. De Chesnay (Ed.), Caring for the Vulnerable: Perspectives in nursing theory, practice, and research. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.