Students deserve affordable health insurance, universities should help

Many students can agree that entering college for the first time is an extremely emotional experience. Feelings of excitement and nervousness fill the residence hall air. However, there are certain supportive factors that can make this initial entrance, as well as the entire four years, more comfortable.

Among these factors is knowing you have health insurance.

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an average of 1.7 million college students are uninsured. When considering the health and financial risks of being uninsured, this number is unacceptable.

First and foremost, uninsured students lack the comfort of seeking necessary treatment. With papers, projects, and tests occupying the daily lives of college, there is little time left to be battling an illness. Additionally, not all illnesses can be fought off without professional assistance and eventually, the student will have no choice but to seek out this help.

Secondly, the services offered to uninsured individuals are limited and often have larger waitlists that those available to individuals with insurance. If the condition does not permit the student to remain on a waitlist for a prolonged amount of time, emergency assistance will have to be sought, which can result in overwhelming medical students, especially on a student budget.

In 2005, the GAO found that uninsured students racked up from $120 to $255 million in uncompensated, non-injury related medical care.

While students do have the option of attesting to the fact that they're uninsured by taking advantage of student insurance options, this is rarely a fix-all.

Students may be ineligible for certain student insurance options due to insufficient hours or pre-existing medical conditions. Also, not all students are eligible for financial aid to cover the additional college expense, and international students who cannot take out loans are forced to pay many costs out-of-pocket, leaving health insurance on the back burner.

Put simply, health insurance just doesn't always fit into an educational budget. This needs to change.

But what can be done to provide students affordable health insurance options during their college careers? Firstly, college policymakers must understand the risks students are taking by maintaining an uninsured status. The lifestyle and stressors that coincide with being a college student can often contribute to illness, and untreated medical issues are likely impact a student's physical health and impede on their personal and academic development.

Colleges and universities have a responsibility to make available affordable and sustainable insurance options for their students, because graduating with student loans should be the only debt students' face immediately after college.