Subsidy necessary evil

Under the current healthcare insurance plans available to graduate students through the University, single students are subsidizing those with family plans. Although this is not ideal, and health insurance across the board needs to be evaluated and made more affordable, it is necessary for graduate students with families to be able to provide healthcare for their children. In lieu of a better system, having singles subsidize families is a necessary evil.

Last year, single students’ health insurance premiums were $1,063 with an average claim of $757 per person. The excess helped to cover the claims made by families, which averaged $4,773. Families paid $2,282 in premiums.

Many singles are upset that their premiums are paying for the families that have significantly higher average claims. If the family premiums were raised much higher, however, it is likely that the graduate students with families would be unable to afford health insurance. This would leave children without healthcare options, which is unacceptable.

The large issue at hand, however, is the overall state of health insurance at the University. Rising healthcare costs is a national problem, which can be felt here at Duke. Having single plans subsidize the more expensive family plans is not a long-term solution, as in the future both types of plans will become unaffordable for students with low incomes. Healthcare is a necessity, not a luxury, and the University must do everything in its power to make sure that all of its students have access to affordable health insurance.