Healthcare Reform Rough Draft
As students get ready to graduate from college, questions about the future can become quite stressful. President Obama has already had great success with college-aged groups, but he has found more support with the passing of healthcare reform. Its given students who are graduating from college one less thing to worry about: buying health insurance.
The most appealing part of the healthcare bill – for college students, at least – is that it allows a student to stay on their parents’ company-provided health insurance until they are 26-years of age.
[Quote from college student about the helpfulness of the new law]
This provision of the bill was included for a few reasons.
First off, the number of college students with health insurance will increase drastically. Even though the current 67% who are covered are a vast majority, the new law will cause it to increase. More parents will have health insurance than before and they will be more able to cover their students medical needs.
Also, students will now be able to take time off without losing coverage. Before healthcare reform, students were only covered when enrolled full time and even then, just until graduation. Now that the new age limit is 26-years-old, students will be able to take a year off to work or travel, and then still have time after graduation to enjoy their parent’s insurance coverage. Students can now work at a more comfortable pace and maybe pay their own way through college.
Finally, the overall health of all students will improve. When students don’t have health insurance, they tend to ignore symptoms and infect others. Sometimes, they avoid taking the full course of antibiotics, saving the rest for the next time they are ill. Mental health issues and sexually transmitted disease may go untreated, affecting more students than imaginable. These things can affect the entire campus. Issues like these may be less likely with proper health care.
[Quote from student health department]
Students may also find it appealing that the healthcare reform is bundled with a new law that will make student loans easier to apply for by taking the middle man out of the process. For more information, students can talk to their financial aid office.
No matter which way a student’s political views sway, the benefits of both of these bills is undeniable. Obama care is taking the majority of the debt out of student loans and the stress out of college graduation.