So Long, Simon Care!

In the Midwest, an important electoral battle ground territory, one public university reversed its health mandate just days prior to the big decision from Washington. Lou Anna K. Simon, president of Michigan State University, announced that students will no longer have to purchase insurance as a condition of enrollment. MSU made the right move while Washington continues down uncharted territory.

The Supreme Court’s much-anticipated ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – better known as Obama Care – upheld the polarizing piece of legislation, by a judicial tally of 5-4.

On the flip side, MSU has voluntarily opted to rollback its student health care mandate.

Freshman students, as of this past spring semester, were required to show proof of health insurance or pay an annual fee of $1,505.

President Simon, who once thought that the nation’s ninth largest campus ought to concern itself with the medical insurance market, announced the policy reversal June 25. This past February, the administration heavily defended the measure in the legislature. Despite vast public outcry, the State News reports Simon instead claiming that MSU does “not have a relationship with a hospital that would permit” coverage.

A student-led initiative spearheaded by activist Nick Kowalski, chairman of MSU Campus Conservatives, got the ball rolling. He first wrote about the outrageous policy on his blog and the College Conservative. An email and call-in campaign followed, whereby folks were directed to express their grievances with the administration.

Evidently, government overreach into individuals’ private lives strikes a chord with America. The repeal of the real deal is forthcoming.

Campus Reform: Student Activist Pressures MSU to Drop Health Insurance Plan

Michigan State University administrators recently announced they will not go forward with the planned mandatory health care requirement dubbed “Simoncare” due to “multiple complaints” from the student body.

The school has scaled back its plans to mandate a school-sponsored insurance plan for students after “multiple complaints” which resulted from a campaign orchestrated by activist Nick Kowalski, a rising senior. The school announced on Monday, June 25, 2012 that the insurance mandate for incoming students will not apply for the 2012-2013 school year.

The plan, dubbed “Simoncare,” after MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, went into effect in the fall of 2011. The plan was controversial, as it charged students who did not report having insurance a fee of $1,505, to be covered by the school’s insurance. Three hundred and twenty students were charged this fee—with no way to opt out of this charge.

Opponents of the plan were quick to point out its similarities to the Affordable Care Act, and questioned if the university could effectively force students to buy a product they do not want.

Kowalski launched a campaign against “Simoncare,” by writing multiple blogs, op-eds in the campus paper, and questioning the president of the university. When all of these proved fruitless, he appeared on a local radio show to discuss the mandate. Kowalski encouraged others to call the president and complain about the fees.

The complaints were effective, and “the next business day” the plan was reversed. Kowalski is not sure how many calls the president of the university actually received, but is pleased with the announcement.

*This article was written by Christine Rousselle and originally posted on CampusReform.org.