According to the September 19th New York Times article, Wal-Mart is hoping to remove “any barriers of entry to the company’s health care plan.”  I want to applaud Wal-Mart for this much-overdue effort, but I also want to ask, who is teaching the Wal-Mart employees and, for that matter, the rest of the nation, how to make sense of the jargon and nuance of the insurance system in our country?

The Times article notes that the new Wal-Mart coverage plan will offer “offers 50 ways to customize coverage, with varying trade-offs like higher premiums and lower deductibles.”  With such a large number of choices, how can Wal-Mart employees, many of whom have probably never had health insurance before, determine which plan will be best for them?  The challenge of interpreting and understanding insurance plans seems to remain a barrier for giving people the best, most affordable and appropriate health care.  Over the past few weeks, I have had repeated conversations with young professionals who are struggling to understand the plans that their companies are offering them.  Our nation’s young college graduates, as well as our nation’s Wal-Mart employees, have trouble understanding our health care system.  In order for us to truly provide more comprehensive health care for our citizens, we need to envision a complete overhaul which includes better education, or available counseling, in our businesses and schools about health care plans.  Health care should not only be accessible, but understandable and tangible.