Contraception? Check.
Gay Marriage? Check.
Voter Suppression? Check.
Student Health Insurance? On the way?
The Franciscan University of Steubensville, Ohio announced two days ago that it would drop health care coverage for its students. The main issue cited is the fact that the Affordable Health Care Act seeks mandated coverage for women's health services.
Michael Hernon, a vice president at Franciscan stated that:
“The Obama Administration has mandated that all health insurance plans must cover ‘women’s health services’ including contraception, sterilization, and abortion-causing medications as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA),” according to a university statement. “Up to this time, Franciscan University has specifically excluded these services and products from its student health insurance policy, and we will not participate in a plan that requires us to violate the consistent teachings of the Catholic Church on the sacredness of human life.”
“Additionally, the PPACA increased the mandated maximum coverage amount for student policies to $100,000 for the 2012-13 school year, which would effectively double your premium cost for the policy in fall 2012, with the expectation of further increases in the future,” the statement said.
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Not to be outdone, Ave Maria University in Florida is also citing similar reasons to potentially drop its health insurance program.
University President James Towey said:
"We're studying it right now. My own sense is, I don't see ... how it makes sense for us to stay in this."
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Now, what does this tell you about the future of college health insurance? Both universities used cost as a factor, but for some reason, they both begin their statements talking about contraception. Peculiar, huh?
Colleges, a place of learning, are now putting their students at risk as opposed to creating a place where parents can rest easy. As a college student myself, the thought of not being covered is absolutely terrifying.
Yet these two Catholic Universities don't appear to share my fear. It seems to me that paying for people's actual health (i.e. contraception) is flaring up the same "red flags" that we've been seeing throughout 2012 in the "War on EVERYTHING" (co-sponsored by the GOP).
Will the backlash continue?