Posted on 07/18/2012 7:16:40 AM PDT by Qbert
RALEIGH, N.C. — The University of North Carolina system requires all students to have health insurance coverage, but the cost of a plan the system offers has more than doubled in two years.
The insurance requirement started in 2010, and about one-third of students on the system's 16 university campuses buy their policy through UNC's provider, New York-based insurer Chartis. The rest of the students have other coverage, usually through their parents.
The average cost of the Chartis policy started at $695 a year, but it rose to $847 last year. Tuition bills that are now arriving in student mailboxes for the 2012-13 school year include a $1,418 health insurance premium.
"That's a lot of money to come out of our pocket. I hated to see that," said Kerwin Chavis, a senior at North Carolina State University. "That's why I'm here at work. I'm actually trying to get up some money so I can pay for it this year."
Bruce Mallette, the UNC system's vice president for academic and student affairs, blamed the increase on a high number of claims by students on the policy.
"It was a very affordable plan," Mallette said. "If you look nationally, the pricing we had in the first two years was very, very competitive, and students utilized it and utilized it and utilized it."
(Excerpt) Read more at wral.com ...
Reality has a way of dampening Utopian plans for low cost health insurance for all. Rates go up or they start refusing certain types of care to students to keep claims down -- those are the choices. Now the administration could cut staff salaries and benefits to absorb some of this cost to help the poor students, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
You’re just getting a headstart on ObamaCare, Suckers.
Law of supply and demand. Demand goes up, price goes up. Maybe they should teach economics there...........
The ObamaTax will double it again each and every year as those who pay have to pay for those that don’t, like illegal aliens and Democrat voters.
"Reality has a way of dampening Utopian plans for low cost health insurance for all. Rates go up or they start refusing certain types of care to students to keep claims down -- those are the choices."
Yep. And then there's the over-utilization problem that the article highlights: if something is supposedly "free", then people will irresponsibly use it until it is completely drained. ("Free condoms? Awesome!- I'll have a thousand"...). There's only one option after that point: premiums go up.
Why, for heaven's sake?
Regards,
$1400/yr for a health insurance policy is plenty cheap these days. Stop complaining....
It certainly lessens what would otherwise be a free market tendency for price and demand to come to an equilibrium.
This is nothing new... my graduate school demanded this in 1991... the ostensible idea seems to be to help keep disease from spreading.
I assume the university wants somewhere to send the school clinic bills to.
One very under-reported story these days is widespread STDs brought on by rampant promiscuity.
When I was that age 40 yrs ago nobody gave a rip about health insurance. Now it's a big deal for that age bracket.
"The ObamaTax will double it again each and every year..."
To be paid for by recent college grads... if they are "lucky" enough to find a part-time temp job under Obamanomics.
If you don’t have a Mommy or Daddy who is full-time employed so you can park yourself on their plan you are SOL, it seems.
what happened to the “Stay on mommy and daddys plan until age 26?”.
My 26 year Old son just graduated from UNCW with a masters. When he looked at the 6 month extension on his crappy student insurance we were told it was 3600 FOR 6 MONTHS.
The market for private, full-coverage, individual health insurance is a “lemons” market. Many relatively healthy people not covered under their employer's plan roll the dice and self-insure or they shop around for a high-deductible, high co-payment plan. That leaves the relatively unhealthy or otherwise high-risk people in the pool for full-coverage, low-deductible policies, and insurance companies charge higher premiums accordingly.
“The University of North Carolina system requires all students to have health insurance coverage [...]
Why, for heaven’s sake?”
Because if a very sick, but uninsured, student shows up at the student health center and requires hospitalization, the university does not want to kick the student to the curb. (Can you imagine the bad publicity for the university if it did?) Without the mandate, the cost of the university’s student health insurance would be even higher because of the “lemons” problem.
The “Bank” MBS equity holders racket continues.
Quick solution: Get rid of the "Student Health Center" and direct all students to the nearest public hospital for treatment - heck: Give them the taxi fare and send them on their way!
With the exception of treating minor cuts and bruises, etc. occuring on campus, the university should not be in the business of providing health services.
I attended university for a number of years and didn't even know where the "Student Health Center" was - but then, I never needed contraceptives or an abortion.
Regards,
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