UMass Students Could See Insurance Refunds

It was reported in the Boston Globe recently that state colleges are agreeing, “To provide refunds to students if their insurer makes ‘excess profits’ on the students’ health coverage.”

This was disclosed by Bill Devine of University Health Plans, a major provider of health insurance to state colleges. Sponsored by Senator Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge, he is pushing insurance companies to, “Meet the same minimum standards set by the state for insurance sold to the general public.”

The issue of affordable health insurance for students was brought into consideration after recognizing that insurance companies make “much higher profits” on health insurance to students than any other options open to the general public. One statistic showed that “45 cents to every insurance dollar [students] pay goes to insurance companies’ profit and administrative costs."

Rising fees have always been a major qualm of mine in regards to higher education. I understand that with a large bureaucracy like University education, the chain of command needs a lot of oil and grease to keep the cogs of the machine running. And while many people can cover these rising expenses (begrudgingly), many other cannot.

If someone seeks a higher education, they should be granted the opportunity to advance themselves, regardless of their socio-economic situation and history. Affordable education needs to stay affordable, and students should not be marginalized.