Extending college student coverage

[Paul54]

In-process legislation to extend parent's policy to cover students who cannot continue classes due to serious illness. This would have helped several young forum members. I suggest writing to your reps to get this passed.

http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi...l?newsId=13413

PS-Scott, yep, I noted NH to be in the lead on this!

[Scott]

Thanks for posting this, Paul! Similar legislation came up during my 2007 LIVESTRONG Day visit to Sen. Sununu. You'll notice it's modeled after a New Hampshire law.

[Maryann]

Hello Paul,

I am from New Hampshire and I know the story about Michelle's Law and the young Plymouth State student who did not survive her colon cancer. It was the saddest, most ridiculous thing that the insurance company did to her and to her family.

It just makes my blood boil when I think of insurance companies deciding upon life and death decisions.

Let's hope that we can take back our health care in this country once and for all.

Thank you for posting this information.

Maryann

[2buck]

20 year old student insurance is horrible

My coverage through Chapman University is ridiculous. United Healthcare is the name of it I think. I have zero income now due to the illness, previously I was a waiter making 200 dollars a week.

My father passed away quite young and my mother isn't working because my stepdad has kidney tumors, so I find myself lost.

I have applied for financial aid at the hospital I have been visiting, St. Joseph's in Orange, CA. I also have a meeting with Med-Cal on Monday to hopefully get some more coverage. When I turn 21 I will hopefully be accepted by MSI, but they wont be a secondary, even if the student insurance sucks.

Overall, I was diagnosed two days ago, and having to cope with this has been overwhelming, let alone having to deal with the finances.

If anyone could help me I would be forever in debt, well I might be anyway!

Hah. Humor helps.

God Bless.

[Scott]

Passed the Senate...

Senate Approves Bill That Would Allow College Students to Keep Their Health Coverage in the Event of Medical Leave

Michelle’s Law legislation would ensure students don’t have to maintain full-time status as a condition of coverage

WASHINGTON, D.C. Sept. 25, 2008 Full-time college students facing a medical emergency are closer than ever to having protections in place so they can keep their insurance coverage, regardless of enrollment status. The Senate today approved Michelle’s Law (H.R. 2851), which would allow some seriously ill college students to take up to 12 months medical leave without the risk of being dropped from a parent's insurance plan.

The bill is named after Michelle Morse, who was a student at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. After being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004, she was forced to remain a full-time student while undergoing debilitating chemotherapy treatment just to stay on her family’s insurance. She ultimately lost her battle to the disease.

“Far too many seriously ill college students are forced to make an incredibly difficult and unfair choice between education and well-being,” said Daniel E. Smith, president, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “This bill will help preserve health insurance coverage for these students so they can focus on their treatment without the added burden of a full-time course load. We thank the Senate for their support of this issue and urge President Bush to sign this bill into law when it reaches his desk.”

The bill would require students to provide written documentation from a medical professional explaining the need for the temporary medical leave and would only apply to full-time students who are already dependents on a health plan. The bill would not require insurance companies to cover any new procedures or new individuals it just prevents them from dropping coverage.

“Ensuring access to quality health care for all Americans, including college students, is essential to winning the fight against cancer,” said Laura J. Hilderley, RN, MS, volunteer chair of the ACS CAN board. “Enacting legislation that protects health insurance coverage for seriously ill college students is a step toward achieving this goal.”

If enacted, Michelle’s law could benefit an estimated 2,400 college students who will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan partner advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society, dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit http://www.acscan.org/.

[Scott]

"Michelle's Law" is United States Law!

SUNUNU, GREGG ANNOUNCE SIGNING OF “MICHELLE’S LAW”
Named for New Hampshire’s Michelle Morse, new law ensures that college students have access to medical leave

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senators John Sununu and Judd Gregg hailed the signing of “Michelle’s Law” by President Bush today (10/9). The new federal law, which both Senators championed, increases access to medical coverage for college students by providing for the extension of existing health insurance coverage to dependant college students for up to one year in the event of a medically necessary leave of absence.

The law is named for the late Michelle Morse, a 20-year-old college student at Plymouth State University (New Hampshire) who died in 2005. Michelle had remained a full-time student while being treated for advanced colon cancer because, due to existing law at the time, her parents’ insurance would not otherwise cover her care. Her case prompted the State of New Hampshire to adopt a similar law in 2006.

Senators Sununu and Gregg stated, “Michelle’s Law allows full-time college students covered by federally regulated health plans to keep their coverage during a serious illness. Michelle’s mother, AnnMarie, deserves tremendous credit for her tireless efforts to ensure that other families can now focus on the care and recovery of their college age child, instead of worrying about maintaining their health insurance. Because of the commitment and hard work of the Morse family and their supporters, Michelle’s Law won bipartisan support in Congress and the endorsement of national health, education, and insurance groups. The President’s signature on this legislation today is a fitting tribute to Michelle’s memory and her brave fight against cancer.”

AnnMarie Morse stated, “I am so honored that, with the stroke of his pen, President Bush ensured that Michelle's Law is federal law. This is a great day for full-time college students who may become seriously ill or injured. Now, if a full-time, seriously ill or injured college student finds he or she must take a leave of absence from college, the student can do so without the fear of losing health insurance coverage.

“On a personal note, it was a bittersweet day for me. Although Michelle was not able to take a leave of absence while battling her cancer, she wanted me to continue fighting for Michelle's Law. She did not want any other college student to face the choice she had to make which was: stay in school and maintain her insurance, or take a leave of absence and lose it. This law began as a story about Michelle and our family, but it is not for our family, it is for other families that may have a college student who becomes seriously ill or injured.

“What a wonderful example of how Congress can work together to get a law passed. This law would not be possible without the support and determination of the cosponsors: Senators John Sununu, Judd Gregg, and Hillary Clinton, and Congressmen Paul Hodes and Michael Castle of Delaware.”

BACKGROUND: Organizations including America’s Health Insurance Plans, the National Health Council, the National Education Association, and the National Patient Advocate Foundation supported the initiative. The following provisions are included in the law:

• Maintains health insurance coverage for up to one year for dependent students enrolled at post-secondary educational institutions suffering from a serious illness or injury that requires a leave of absence;
• Provides that should the student’s health plan change after the first day of a leave of absence, but before the coverage would otherwise terminate, the student would remain eligible for coverage as a dependent student under the new plan;
• Applies to health plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Safety Act; and
• Becomes effective one year from enactment.

[dmann999]

Please Note: Not effective until 2009

Being the parent of a child that has this issue. I just want every to be aware while it is wonderful that this law has been signed by the president, it doesn't take effect until 10-2009. That is, and new policy issued after October, 2009. So for most people who insurance renews annual in January, it would mean Jan 2010.
Unfortunate for us, this required Joe to goe to school full time during chemo and an RPLND.

[dmann999]

Sorry for the typing errors

[dadmo]

Jaymo was diagnosed 3 weeks before college graduation. We had to seriously consider having him take masters classes and flunk out just so he could be covered. It's really an awful situation for the families and students.