Students surprised by default university health plan; officials say plan will lower long-term costs
Requiring students have health insurance may be unpopular, but state and university policy makers said it actually lowers costs for students in the long run.
CU and higher education institutions statewide stand strong by their policies to require students to have some form of health insurance. Administrators said not only is it required by state law, but it contributes to the overall safety of students on campus.
Despite this, some students feel the university has unfairly added costs to already high education expenses.
“I think it is pretty shady of the school to try and sneak in the student health plan on your bill if you don’t waive it,” said junior architecture student Natalie De France Dreyer. “I mean, that’s a lot of money to be surprised with, especially if you are a low-income student.”
Because of the mandatory insurance requirement, CU automatically enrolls students in the Student Gold Health Plan.
The plan is $875 per semester and must be waived early in the semester if students don’t want to be billed. The plan designates Wardenburg Health Center as the primary care provider and allows for services outside the center.
Rudy Landan, manager of the student health insurance office at Wardenburg, said while the coverage offered through CU has benefits, it isn’t for everyone.
“Everyone has unique health insurance needs. Students may find that this plan doesn’t suit their needs, and we certainly aren’t forcing anyone to accept it. Students just need to shop around for the insurance with the least number of drawbacks,” he said.
The university has required proof of health insurance from all enrolled students since 1986. According to the policy, a mandatory health insurance requirement minimizes the financial impact of health care on students by providing more options for coverage.
Colorado House Representative John Kefalas, D-Larimer, and Senator Bob Bacon, D-Larimer, have co-sponsored legislation to further expand the requirement of health insurance to include graduate students with legislation passed in 1994. This legislation made health insurance a requirement for all undergraduates in the state.
“The way health insurance works is that policy rates are determined by the pool of the potentially insured. The lower the pool number, the higher the rates,” said Bacon. “By requiring students to have health insurance, we increase the pool, and thus lower the rates.”
Kefalas said the bill mostly affects CSU because it is the only higher-education institution not requiring health insurance of graduate students. He said the CSU graduate student council welcomed the bill.
According to CU policy, mandatory health insurance promotes responsibility by forcing students to manually waive coverage, as well as moves toward a decreased reliance on fee-for-service programs.
“Required health insurance may put some students off, but it really is quiet advantageous because it gives students more economical bang for their buck,” Bacon said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Cassie Hewlings at cassandra.hewlings@thecampuspress.com.
