Dive Brief:
- A bill in the U.S. House of Representatives with both Democratic and Republican co-sponsors would allow colleges and universities to opt out of the Obamacare mandate to offer health insurance when it comes to student employees.
- Currently, the Affordable Care Act requires large employers, such as higher ed institutions, to offer health insurance to employees who work 30 hours or more per week.
- The proposed legislation, called the Student Worker Exemption Act, has been endorsed by several college administrators in North Carolina, and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) is the bill’s sponsor.
Dive Insight:
The obvious goal of the measure would be to save money for colleges and universities. Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher pitches the bill as a benefit for student workers who might lose their jobs if colleges cut their positions rather than pay for their health insurance. Paying the insurance bill would also force tuition higher for other students, he says. No word on whether a measure like this would have any hope of passing the Senate.
