Pete Mendoza
UTRGV Student Health Center Building on the Edinburg Campus
The Rio Grande Valley has historically had a low number of insured residents. To ensure their safety, Health Services recommend that students and faculty acquire insurance.
Director of Health Service for UT Health RGV Student Health Dr. Rick Gray explained health insurance is a way for people to pay for medical services.
According to Gray, the valley has always had a low number of insured individuals.
“The valley has traditionally been underserved and behind the national averages for folks with insurance,” he said.
Gray mentioned there are many reasons why people do not have health insurance, it could be people’s socioeconomic status, not being able to afford insurance and limited funding for state and federal programs.
Student Marketing Advisor for UT Health RGV Student Health Angelica Velasquez said she has multiple experiences with people that are uninsured.
“I have experienced in health care settings where several patients couldn’t afford to pay for any services that they were looking into,” Vealsquez said. “So, then they would have to rely on going across the border to go get the services that they need.”
Additionally, she said people might not get the same quality of service across the border as they would in the Valley.
Gray said there is a good percentage of students that are not insured.
“Traditionally, among our students about 25% of them are either underinsured or uninsured,” he said.
Gray said you never know when you might get into an accident or get ill. He said insurance would cover most of the medical expenses, especially screenings and immunizations.
Velasquez expressed it is better to be safe than sorry. She gave a scenario where someone who doesn’t have insurance refuses to get checked up which leads them to getting hospitalized and having to pay thousands of dollars instead of just paying for a pill for treatment for $50.
To make sure that they are getting the most out of their health insurance, she said people should look into what services the insurance offers.
Velasquez encourages people to get health insurance.
“I would encourage people to get health insurance or to even seek health services just for preventive measures,” she said. “Because things can get worse, things can get more expensive. Taking advantage of your health insurance can definitely help with preventing even more catastrophic effects.”
For more information about health insurance visit www.utrgv.edu/health-services/.
This is Pete Mendoza for Vaquero Radio.
