We have good news for students and families: There is still time to get money for college this autumn by completing an application for financial assistance. You will also receive free assistance to complete the application quickly.
The class of 2024 was in eighth grade when the pandemic struck. Although schools and families did their best to provide structure and support, this class had significantly less access to the resources and relationships that help young people plan their post-high school education.
The class of 2024 prevailed despite all the challenges, but just before the finish line, the U.S. Department of Education presented many students with an almost insurmountable obstacle: the botched introduction of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2024-2025 period.
The FAFSA form determines eligibility for federal and large institutional financial aid, including grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs. The so-called “better FAFSA form” was supposed to simplify the financial aid process, but it actually made it more difficult. Many students who would otherwise have been interested in pursuing an education after high school had difficulty completing the form. Some simply gave up.
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Some estimates suggest that, despite the recently expanded Pell eligibility, one million fewer low-income students will receive a Pell Grant this year simply because technical issues prevented them from completing the application.
Since the spring, however, support from high schools, education agencies and others has helped Illinois make up some of the lost ground on FAFSA applications. Many of the problems with the FAFSA have been fixed, and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission is offering free help to students and families statewide to help them complete the FAFSA application quickly and easily.
Completing the FAFSA form (or, for eligible, non-registered students in Illinois, the Illinois Alternative Application for Financial Aid) does not obligate a student to accept a loan, grant, or scholarship. It does provide important information about the types and amounts of financial aid available to students so they can make informed decisions about their education after high school.
Given all the challenges this high school graduating class has faced, let’s support their dreams and goals by making sure they have the information they need to secure a future full of opportunity. Let’s encourage them to fill out an application at FAFSA.gov.
Eric Zarnikow, Executive Director, ISAC, and Tony Sanders, Ed.D., Secretary of Education, Illinois State Board of Education
Use of technology in mental health care
The past few years have brought a welcome shift in the conversation around mental health care. Unfortunately, the barriers to comprehensive mental health care – cost, stigma, access – remain for at-risk populations and communities of color, particularly on Chicago’s South and West Sides.
I believe the solution lies in digital therapy, which is the delivery of medical interventions directly to patients through proven, clinically tested software. This next wave of medicine follows innovations such as oral medications, intravenous antibiotics, and cell therapy by leveraging technology to support a patient’s tailored healthcare needs, and is capable of treating conditions such as depression, substance abuse, and more through software-based therapies.
The promise that digital therapies will revolutionize healthcare is unmistakable. Digital therapies can provide rural and disinvested communities with access to mental health resources, make care more affordable, and significantly reduce the stigma surrounding care. As a mental health nurse for many years, I have seen the potential of these therapies firsthand and remain passionate about doing my part to make them more accessible.
However, to achieve this, intelligent policies are needed.
First, policymakers must require insurers to reimburse clinically proven digital therapies. Just as Governor Pritzker codified reimbursement for telehealth services, Illinois lawmakers should advance policies that require reimbursement for digital therapies. When payers process reimbursement quickly and effectively, they help create an incentive structure that encourages future investments that are key to continued innovation and the foundation of an equitable health care system.
Another cause for concern are policy proposals circulating in Congress that would handcuff the nation’s leading technology companies and most prolific innovators. As currently written, these regulatory proposals would discourage future innovation and remove important safeguards that health technology companies put in place to secure their platforms. Our policymakers in Congress should advance legislation that makes it easier, not harder, for American technology leaders to innovate.
Healthcare providers have a responsibility to usher in the future. The future is digital therapy. In the interest of our most vulnerable patients, I hope our elected officials will commit to protecting and advancing the practice of digital therapy.
Nicole Maes, nurse, West Loop
L-names used to have a meaning
The L trains in Chicago used to have names that meant something. When you heard the name, you knew immediately which train went where. There was the Howard L, the Skokie Swift, the Evanston Express, the Ravenswood Line, the Logan Square, the Lake Street, the Dan Ryan, the Englewood, and the Douglas.
They’ve switched to color names, and I bet 90% of the public couldn’t name them all correctly.
The CTA should admit its mistake and change the names to actually inform the public.
Larry Craig, Wilmette
