UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 28, 2024

Educate yourself on ACA

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If I am on the same page as everyone else, all of the government shutdowns, foreign country invasions and live television twerking have become so radically prevalent to the point of eye-rolling boredom.

To top it all off, there’s the new Affordable Care Act regulations to be aware of. In all honesty though, not many college students are giving the proper amount of attention to the issue.

On Oct. 1, a day to add to the history books of American government idiocy, I was not remotely moved by hearing the government had shut down. I was exhausted to also hear that Republicans are virtually denying the operations of Obamacare on the grounds that they still don’t agree with the new health care laws.

Students at Dixie State University simply don’t have time to worry about problems with the big man. In this particular case, we have no concerns with what’s going on — or should I say, what’s not going on — inside the Capitol as it won’t directly affect us. We’re still attending class, still donating plasma for gas money, and still receiving financial aid from the supposed non-existent government.

Why should college students care about Obamacare or at least attempt to gather some of the facts?

This indecisive government has made a rather childish move by throwing in the towel on the American people and shutting down its operations on an issue that, mind you, has already been implemented into bona fide law.

That issue is the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

What kind of angry old men would slam their doors on a nation-wide change that provides the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, provides 95 percent of Americans with coverage (the largest percentage in the history of the U.S.), and will reduce the country’s deficit by $100 billion in the next 10 years?

If you’re a prospective or current student majoring in the health care field, pay close attention.

DSU does not have a health care plan for students. But under the ACA, training for students in the workforce will yield to annual increase need-based Pell Grants. That will also include loan forgiveness for students still in college.

Now looking at that objectively, that sounds like a sweet deal for Dixie’s nursing students.

It should also be mentioned that DSU has six health and medicine degree programs. In the 2013-14 FAFSA aid year, 81 percent of DSU students applied for financial aid from the government and only 1.6 percent had their needs fully covered.

But under the ACA, colleges with plans to cover students would include prescriptions and increase maximum requirement annual benefits to $100,000.

This also sounds rather nice, but in light of Dixie’s new university status, plans of implementing student health care is yet to be discussed. In the meantime, students need to be wary of the consequence of staying in the dark on Obamacare.

The ACA states that starting in 2014, college students will, like the rest of Americans, be required to purchase health insurance or stay on their parent’s plan if they are under the age of 26. Otherwise, there is a federal tax penalty.

Although the breaking news might be losing its touch, in that events in the world seem too radical and too terrible to bother acknowledging anymore, one thing students can acknowledge is their new right for health coverage under Obamacare.

There are websites, like Obamacare Facts, that will help uninformed students get the information they need. Knowing the facts will benefit students for the rest of their education and future thereafter.