Colleges Requiring Health Insurance

A growing number of public universities are requiring that students have student health insurance before they are admitted. The move is meant to save the uninsured from huge bills and college hospitals from getting stuck with the cost.



College administrators are finding that some students are forced to drop out when faced with big medical expenses.



More schools have started mandating the coverage in the past four years, although most public universities still leave the decision up to students. Ohio State University and the University of Toledo are two schools with the requirement.



Students who lack coverage must buy into a school's student health care plan or obtain their own insurance. Costs vary among schools. undergraduate students at UCLA paid $558 for a full year. The price is $1,200 this year at the University of Toledo.