Colorado University to limit student work hours -- partly to ease health law coverage requirements

Elsewhere, one woman's story of why getting coverage is important.

Denver Post: CU Boulder Avoids ACA Requirement By Limiting Student Work Hours
The University of Colorado at Boulder is limiting student employee hours to 25 a week during spring and fall semesters in response to Affordable Care Act provisions, and other CU campuses are doing the same. In a newsletter to students, CU-Boulder said the act -; which requires employers to provide health insurance to employees working 30 or more hours per week, or pay fines -; was the catalyst for the policy change but not the sole reason. "Not only does the policy support degree attainment as the student's primary focus, it will help assist the campus in achieving chancellor (Phil) DiStefano's initiative of increasing the six-year graduation rate," the newsletter said. Spokesman Ryan Huff estimates the new policy, effective Oct. 1, will affect fewer than 10 percent of undergraduate students because most already work fewer than 25 hours a week for the university (Draper, 10/14).

Charlotte Observer: North Carolina Woman's New ACA Coverage Leads To Early Detection Of Cancer
In March, after Kimberly Tonyan got health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange, she spoke at a news conference urging others to enroll. Her 11-year-old twins stood at her side in Raleigh. "You have nothing to lose," the Cornelius woman said, "but your life." Little did she know. A couple of months later, Tonyan (rhymes with "onion") went to the doctor, complaining of abdominal pain. It was the start of a medical journey that led to an early cancer diagnosis and the discovery that she has Cowden syndrome, a rare genetic mutation that puts her at high risk for other cancers. It's been a tough year. She has one surgery behind her and another ahead. For the rest of her life she'll be closely monitored. But Tonyan wants to get the word out about the importance of getting insured and seeing a doctor. Despite the pain and anxiety, what matters most is that she has boosted her odds of seeing Caitlyn and Charlotte grow up. Because Cowden syndrome is hereditary, Tonyan's oncologist says the diagnosis will also benefit her daughters and their descendents, who have a better chance of living long, healthy lives with proper care (Helms, 10/13).