State lawmakers are planning to investigate MSU’s student health care plan in an upcoming House hearing, as some representatives claim the new university insurance system implemented this year adds an unnecessary financial burden on students.
On Thursday, State Rep. Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant, announced the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education would hold a hearing Feb. 15 to address the university’s new health care system, which requires students to be covered under a health insurance policy or face being automatically billed for a university plan.
The policy mandates every student starting with this year’s freshman class carry health insurance, which includes being covered under a parent’s policy, or purchase the university plan, which costs around $1,500 per year, university spokesman Kent Cassella said.
MSU is the only public university in Michigan to have such a requirement. However, the change can be paid for with federal financial aid or student loans.
Cotter met with Provost Kim Wilcox and several other university administrators Tuesday to discuss making the MSU-sponsored plan optional, but the parties didn’t come to an agreement. Administrators did, however, agree to extend the deadline for students to get insurance from Jan. 31 to Feb. 29 to allow time for the House hearing.
So far, MSU has contacted 790 freshmen who don’t have health care, Cassella said.
He said the policy mainly is in place to maintain public health on campus. Students packed in close
quarters can be a problem if a sick student refuses to go to the doctor because they can’t afford health insurance.
The policy also is aimed to prevent untreated mental illnesses and to stop students from dropping out of school.
“(Students) may be making a financial decision that they have to drop out of school to pay their medical bills,” Cassella said.
The student health care debate adds to an already strained relationship between MSU administrators and the subcommittee. Last year, several lawmakers accused MSU administrators of intentionally tampering with the definition of the academic year to raise tuition above the 7.1 percent cap required to maintain full state funding.
In July, the subcommittee called MSU administrators Mark Burnham and Mark Haas to testify, where in a heated testimony Cotter called their conduct “cute play” and an underhanded move to smokescreen the process.
Subcommittee chairman Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck, then introduced a bill to strip MSU of the more than $18 million in funding. The bill has not yet made it out of committee.
Despite the controversy, some students agree with the university’s reasoning.
Studio art junior Ashley Brimley said she supports the university requirement, considering it can be paid for with federal aid.
“It’s a burden, I know I have some friends who are tight on money,” Brimley said. “(But) I am for health care at MSU.”
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