In brief: Starting at the end of the month, students at Michigan State University will be required to ahve health insurance coverage or be signed up and billed for a campus plan.
The full story
University officials say that students with health coverage are more likely to seek medical treatment when need and thus tend to stay healthier and do better academically than those who do not. They say that 25% of public universities nationally have the same requirement.
Opponents question that number and say that the insurance requirement is just another added cost for already expensive tuition, with students paying anywhere from $950 to $1,500 per year for coverage.
University officials will be required to testify before the Michigan House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education this week to justify the policy.
Summing up
Several private institutions, some of which are in Michigan require students have health insurance. A few have policies that are lumped into tuition costs for those that cannot prove being covered otherwise.
Photo credits: MSU
