Health Care Debate and Educational Consultants

September 9, 2009 | no comments

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, Independent Educational Consultants Association

A few facts to put on the table:

(1) As a group, professional educational consultants skew a bit older than the general public.

(2) Most consultants, before entering the field were covered by a group health policy in a school, college, or other agency.

(3) Paying for health insurance as an individual is among the most expensive costs independent businessmen and women face.

(4) Putting together items 1, 2, and 3 suggests that the availability and affordability of health insurance is a major obstacle for those seeking to transition into independent educational consulting.

Indeed, group health insurance is the first and most urgent request we get from IECA members when we ask about services. A number of circumstances make it difficult, including: how spread out members are geographically; the average age of our members makes us less attractive to insurers; and of course the size of the organization, while growing is—on a state-by-state basis—insufficient to gain the interest and attention of insurers (insurance coverage is almost always determined on a state or regional basis).

All of this suggests that educational consultants, like many small businesspersons, would be tuned in to the current debate about the future of health care in America. While I will not wade into the specific proposals (how many are there now, six or seven?) or the outlandish claims being made, I do want to outline a few key items that we should look for in any new plan, specific to what would assist our membership:

(1) A plan should allow independent businesspeople to join together, through cooperatives or other means, to seek health coverage at group rates. Imagine the benefit if all independent professionals and businesspeople in, say, Baltimore could form a cooperative, 10,000 strong, and invite bids from three or four health insurance companies. There seems little doubt that such a plan would reduce premiums for all. Such a plan would allow IECA to cover its employees at a greatly reduced cost—if we could join together with other small non-profit organizations.

(2) Legislation should protect those changing jobs or careers (from a school counselor to an educational consultant, for example) from being denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

(3) Legislation should protect those diagnosed with an illness from any threat of being dropped by their health insurance company. As our membership ages, the ability to maintain adequate levels of health coverage is essential.

(4) On behalf of the families and students we serve, I would love to see equity between coverage for physical illnesses and psychological illnesses. There is no excuse in modern times for covering mental illness less than physical ailments.

I will be watching: tonight as the President outlines his plan and as the Republican leadership responds; and I’ll be watching in the days ahead. Hopefully a plan will emerge with bipartisan support that assures the four basic principles I outlined above to serve IECA members and educational consultants.