College health plans must comply with health law's 'central provisions'

The Department of Health and Human Services made clear Wednesday that the nation's colleges and universities would not be exempt from the requirements of the health overhaul.

The Wall Street Journal: College Plans Required To Comply With Health Care Law
The Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that college health-insurance plans must comply with the central provisions of the health care overhaul, ending any speculation that the nation's colleges and universities would be permanently exempted from the new law (Silver-Greenberg, 2/9).

The Hill: HHS Extends Reform Law Protections To College Students
The health care reform law's popular consumer protections will be extended to student health plans offered by colleges under a regulation proposed Wednesday. Student health plans, offered by as many as 2,000 higher education institutions, will no longer be able to impose lifetime coverage limits, suddenly drop students from enrollment because of an unintentional application error or discriminate against pre-existing conditions (Millman, 2/9).

National Journal: HHS Proposes Rule To Extend Health Law To Student Health
The Department of Health and Human Services announced new rules today to extend health care reform to student health insurance plans. Under the proposed rule, the 4.5 million students enrolled in student health plans would have access to free preventive care. Benefits of no lifetime limits, no rescissions, and no exclusion on pre-existing conditions would also be extended to students. Approximately 2,000 schools offer health insurance to students, though the quality varies from school to school (Fung. 2/9).