A Note From Our Founder:

“When I first moved away from home, I realized pretty quickly I wasn’t comfortable engaging with doctors, my insurance company, or pharmacists on my own. I felt intimidated by the system, confused by the acronyms, and unsure of how to take control of my own health care experience. As someone whose health depends on frequent doctor’s visits, it was necessary that I dive head first into the learning process and embrace self advocacy. HIP was born out of my personal experiences making health care decisions for the first time and my desire to help people my age better understand the health care system. I want to create a group of people who are empowered to take control of their health and advocate for themselves.  Engaging in the health care system shouldn’t be intimidating or confusing, it should be something we do on a regular basis to take care of ourselves and our community.”

-Johanna

Mission Statement

HIP aims to foster health care empowerment and create a generation of health care inclined people–individuals who have the knowledge and confidence to utilize the health care system when appropriate.

HIP believes that many young people in the U.S. settle for pain, illness, or inadequate care out of confusion or apathy towards health care. The U.S. health care system is experiencing parallel trends of becoming increasingly accessible for young people through the ACA but also increasingly complicated with health system mergers, changing prescription drug benefits, and fluctuating insurance exchange issues.

HIP hopes to provide young people the inspiration and tools to engage with the health care system. Taking care of your health when you’re young is a vital step towards prevention of future challenges.  Knowing how to access and engage with medical professionals is also a learned skill that becomes easier over time, emphasizing the importance of starting young!

What does health care inclined mean?

Health care inclined means that you are comfortable and confident engaging with the health care system. It means you have an established relationship with a primary care doctor and the specialists you need to see. As a health care inclined person you understand your insurance benefits and feel comfortable pushing back and asking questions when you don’t understand something. It means you understand the risks, benefits, and available alternatives for the medication you are taking. It means when you get sick or hurt, your instinct is to turn towards the health care system–not to avoid it.

Is HIP political?

While HIP’s writers mostly come from a liberal perspective, the information is intended to be non-partisan and aimed at newly insured and newly independent health care consumers – college students, young adults enrolling for the first time, and those aging out of their parents’ plans. I’m hoping to return us all to a time when health care wasn’t political–it was just a thing we used to take care of ourselves and others.