NPR's "Day to Day" on Tuesday examined how more public universities are considering requiring health insurance coverage for students. According to a survey by Stephen Beckley, a health care and benefits consultant for universities, approximately 25% of public universities in the United States require health insurance, compared with about 90% of private universities. Beckley said the system is "ripe for change," with public universities including the systems for the University of North Carolina, the University of Iowa, University of Florida and the University of Texas considering the requirement. Glenn Egelman, physician in chief at Bowling Green State University, said that student health insurance can be a retention issue for universities. Hundreds of uninsured students withdraw from school each year because of their inability to pay medical bills from accidents or unexpected illnesses, NPR reports. In addition, schools can be liable for medical expenses if they occurred while a student attended a field trip or studied abroad; schools with on-campus hospitals can incur large unpaid medical bills from uninsured students; and participation by less healthy students in school-based health insurance plans can raise premiums, according to Egelman. However, Egelman said mandatory health insurance is a "tough sell" for students, who think they do not need and cannot afford it. Although the issue is discussed at Kent State University every year, the school "always decides" to keep the voluntary insurance system, Mary Reeves, health services director at Kent State, said. The NPR segment also includes comments from a student at Ohio State University, which recently began requiring health insurance coverage for students through either a parent's plan or a university plan (Keith, "Day to Day," NPR, 3/8).

The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.