Originally posted by: DingDingDao
I don't fucking understand why reading comprehension is so difficult. The OP basically spun the policy and wrote about it in such a way as to make it seem like the university was forcing him to buy their insurance. THEY'RE NOT. He's free to go get coverage elsewhere, as he stated. What's happening here is that he's required to have insurance, ANY insurance, so that he can attend classes at a university HE CHOSE. It's not like he was conscripted, or required to attend this university. You don't like the policy? Don't fucking go there.
There are plenty of situations where people have to satisfy certain requirements before they can do something. For example, driving. Try registering a vehicle without insurance. See where that lands you. Oh shit, it must be Obama's new transportation policy. For fuck's sake...
/end rant
Exactly. It's the university's decisions whether or not they would like to require health insurance be held by their student body. If that's what they choose, then it's up to the potential students to decide if they would like to attend a college that has such requirements. Don't like the requirement, don't go to the school.
Typically, universities don't arbitrarily setup requirements such as these. As other posters have said, having health insurance likely increases the average number of class sessions you're able to attend, especially when you have 20+ young adults sitting in the same room(s) together for hours on end. Beyond that, and as has also been said, the health center may simply not want to deal with uninsured individuals.
As for faculty rates--you'd probably be surprised. At most colleges I've seen, the faculty rates for pretty much everything (gym membership, parking passes, health insurance, etc.) are higher than are the rates for students.