Sacramento Bee
2100 Q Street
Sacramento, CA 95816-6899
viewpoints@sacbee.com
October 2, 2011
Dear Ms. Gutierrez:
While Anthem Blue Cross is improving healthcare access and keeping kids in school by providing this temporary free service for students, the single day clinic merely mends a morsel of our meager healthcare system. Of the 2,285 Sacramento students that are required vaccination, few will be able to receive care considering the obstacles imposed by schedule conflicts, transportation to the single site, and the fear of long queues resulting from staffing limitations. Moreover the uninsured target demographic that is vaccinated will have difficulty receiving proper follow-up care should complications arise.
Anthem should focus toward improving insurance affordability in their efforts to increase healthcare accessibility. Offering significantly discounted rates to students may be feasible in alleviating families’ overall healthcare expenses. In doing so, students and their families will acquire around-the-clock access to necessary vaccines and comprehensive care. In the long term, free clinics like this wouldn’t be necessary.
Sincerely,
Paolo Ferrer
This letter was written in response to:
While I agree that Blue Cross' plan does not make structural changes towards improving insurance eligibility, I do think that it is a step towards helping students get the necessary vaccinations. I think that Blue Cross could improve accessibility by waiving the requirement for a parent to present and instead accept a signed consent form. If this change were possible, it would remove a potential obstacle.
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