Fordham University to mandate all students have health insurance

New York City-based Fordham University is requiring all undergraduates to enroll in a health plan provided by the university or prove they have adequate health coverage to attend classes, according to The Observer.

The rule, which was already in place for graduate and international students, will now affect all of Fordham's roughly 16,000 students. Fordham's University Health Services said 1 in 5 undergraduate students don't have insurance or are underinsured.

Hospitals and health clinics in the New York area have rejected students due to lack of insurance. Jeffrey Gray, vice president for student affairs, told The Observer, "When students have to go to local hospitals or are referred to physicians for non-emergency related tests or treatment, we are learning that many or all of the expenses are not covered by family plans. In many of these cases, it does not make financial or logistical sense for the student to return home for in-state treatment."

The university's plan, administered by Aetna, costs students $3,073 each year. If students don't prove insurance or their coverage doesn't meet UHS' requirements, they will be charged the cost for the university's plan.

The policy takes effect in fall 2019.

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