Students at Cal State Long Beach may not be able to purchase health care through Associated Students, Inc. in the future.
ASI currently offers a health insurance plan to students through United Healthcare Student Resources. Cal State Student Association President Christopher Chavez said the health care reform that was passed this year might restrict the group from doing so when the changes take effect in 2014.
“The new federal laws governing over health insurance create new ‘minimum standards’ that restrict the offering of short-term health insurance plans,” Chavez said via e-mail. “The health care plans offered by ASI are classified as ‘short-term’ plans that can be renewed every year that the student is enrolled in college.”
Though the changes don’t take effect until 2014, the CSSA is taking action. CSSA is the umbrella organization of all of the Associated Students in the Cal State Universities. Chavez said the group is working to make sure the health care plans meet minimum care guidelines, and that ASIs can continue to offer health insurance.
“Not having health insurance is a major gamble and often leads to financial disaster, which we feel is unacceptable,” Chavez said.
Cutting health care would impact about 600 students and faculty members who receive health insurance each year at CSULB, Esparza said. The plans currently range from $841 annually with a $2,000 deductible to $1,748 with a $500 deductible for students 24 and under.
According to USA Today, the average cost of health insurance in 2009 for a single person was $4,824.
ASI communications coordinator Christina Esparza said cutting the program would put students at financial risk.
“If ASI wasn’t providing health-insurance coverage to students, those who are not covered under parents’ plan or employers’ plan would have to purchase individual policies at a much higher rate,” she said.
ASI will also suffer a financial loss if it can no longer offer insurance plans. According to Esparza, ASI gets a $20 administrative fee for each semester policy sold.
Chavez said he encourages concerned students to take action in this battle for low-cost health care. Students can connect with CSSA at csustudents.org or facebook.com/csustudents.
“Ultimately, students need to share how either having or not having health care affects them,” he said. “They need to convey their stories to ASI and CSSA to make sure we know what the best way to help them is.”
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