UNC students can now opt out of health care coverage for abortions, an option not possible less than a week ago. After numerous pro-life students and activists spoke out, the UNC system is changing the details of the new coverage plan. Fellow Civitas blogger Jason Sutton covered the divisive issue earlier this week (read it here) responding to the plan’s information going public.
The N&O reported:
Starting in fall 2010…a new health insurance policy kicks in , mandating that all students at UNC system campuses, about 215,000 people, have health insurance. Students must either prove they have their own, or buy insurance through a new plan designed to leverage the system’s buying power to offer reasonable premiums and better coverage than most campuses do now on their own.
Students for Life of America quickly pointed out that the mandatory plan covered elective abortions, something not agreeable to pro-life students. In response to the nationally publicized issue, the UNC system announced this afternoon that it will allow students to opt out of elective abortion coverage. However, the system has yet to comment on whether students who opt out of abortion coverage will pay less for their total health care plan.
While this may be a relative gain for pro-lifers, what I want to know is why a public university system is mandating that students purchase health care from their pre-approved provider? Aren’t most college students over the age of 18 and therefore, adults? Sounds like Obamacare has a test case in the UNC System.
It is clear to me that conservatives want free speech to include incorrect punctuation?
“However, the system has yet to comment on whether students who opt out of abortion coverage will pay less for their total health care plan?”
Kris,
Thanks for the correction.
Jessica