Ave Maria University, a Catholic university that is located in Florida, is considering dropping their student health insurance plan. Unlike Franciscan University, which is located in Ohio, Ave Maria University is concerned with how their students will be affected if they drop health insurance coverage.
Recently, Franciscan University decided to drop their student health insurance plans. This will take affect for the upcoming fall semester. The university doesn’t appear to be particularly concerned about how this will affect the health of their students. Their website tells students:
“We encourage you to decide how you are going to provide for accidents or illnesses requiring visits to physicians, health clinics, or the hospital emergency room while you are a student here.”
In other words, Franciscan University doesn’t see student health insurance as their problem. The university is blaming the Affordable Care Act as the reason why they chose to drop their student health plan. They point out that the cost of the insurance will increase. They also feel very strongly that health insurance that covers birth control, without cost to the policyholder, violates their religious beliefs.
Now, Ave Maria University is considering whether or not to drop its student health insurance plan. Unlike Franciscan University, Ave Maria University is concerned with how their students will be affected if the school drops student health insurance plans.
Their insurance provider said the premium rates would increase anywhere from 65% to 82%. This is because the Affordable Care Act no longer allows health insurance policies to have an annual limit. It also requires universities and colleges to offer comprehensive insurance coverage in their student health plans. Previous to this requirement, many schools were offering student health insurance that barely covered one trip to the emergency room.
Ave Maria University has said that, at the very least, they need to communicate to students exactly why their premiums will increase. The university is concerned that students who are not covered by their parent’s health insurance plan would be left entirely without health insurance coverage. They realize that this could lead to dire situations.
Like many other Catholic universities, Ave Maria University does not like the requirement that all health insurance plans must cover the cost of birth control without cost to the policyholder. They feel that offering this coverage to their students would violate the religious beliefs of the University. Ave Maria University has been searching for alternative health insurance plans, but has been unsuccessful in finding one.
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