USU Political Science Prof Addresses Utah Audience on Insurance Issues

Utah State University professor Roberta Q. Herzberg addressed an audience of interested listeners on the topic of the uninsured in Utah.

The gathering was held at Little America Hotel as part of “Sunrise Sessions,” a lecture series designed to highlight timely and cutting-edge research conducted at USU.

“There are no easy answers to address this problem,” said Herzberg. “No plan we come up with will fix everything. Solutions that make certain groups fare better will actually make it worse for other groups.”

Herzberg is department head and associate professor of political science at USU, with a specialization in public policy, political economy and American politics. She is active in the Utah policy process and has served on several state policy committees and commissions.

“The Sunrise Session offers a great opportunity to showcase our faculty,” said USU President Stan L. Albrecht. “Roberta’s topic is particularly timely. With rising healthcare costs this is one of the most pressing and important matters facing Utah.”

A decided difference between the face of the uninsured and the face of the uninsurable exists, Herzberg said.

“Most of Utah’s uninsured are young and in good health,” she said. “They think insurance coverage is too expensive and there are too many other important items to spend money on.”

But, the face of the uninsurable is very different. That is the face of the older, seriously ill person — the person none of us wants to become. They are frequently excluded from buying insurance because of pre-existing health conditions.

“The notion that health insurance protects your health is incorrect,” Herzberg said. “It protects your wealth.”

The question of the uninsured is a thorny one, she continued, but it is a problem that must be addressed.

“With health care issues, we need to decide what society values most before we rush to put an expensive and failed policy in place,” Herzberg concluded.

For more information about the Sunrise Sessions, contact Kent Clark [kent.clark@usu.edu]. 435-797-2645.