The Department of Health and Human Services proposed that health insurance plans self-funded by colleges satisfy the standard for "minimum essential coverage" under the federal health care law's requirements for qualified plans, Inside Higher Ed reported. The regulation, proposed on Jan. 30, impacts roughly 30 colleges primarily major universities, including many Ivy League institutions and the University of California system. The proposal exempts self-funded plans from coverage requirements imposed by the Affordable Care Act. By self-funding student health plans, institutions can cut operating costs and customize their coverage to the students' specific needs, according to college officials. Health care advocacy groups have expressed concerns that more institutions are self-funding their health plans because the plans involve minimal government oversight, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Amherst College released a report concluding that it must provide greater support to victims of sexual violence, The Huffington Post reported. The report suggested that improve communication among its health center, counseling center and dean of students' office, in addition to increasing publicity of its resources for victims. Amherst President Biddy Martin assembled a task force to compile the report in response to an October op-ed by Angie Epifano, who dropped out of Amherst her sophomore year after struggling to find support as a rape victim. Epifano provided a "credible" report of her experience, but the college failed to respond effectively, according to Gina Smith, an attorney assisting Amherst's reform effort.
A report released by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities recommends that colleges' federal financial aid eligibility take into account students' backgrounds, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Requirements that govern institutional eligibility for Pell Grant and student-loan programs should depend on students' risk of defaulting and be reduced or revoked if a cohort's repayment rate dips below a set threshold, according to project leader Michael Tanner. Currently, a college loses eligibility if the student cohort default rate exceeds 40 percent in a year or 30 percent in three consecutive years, restrictions intended to support colleges with many students at risk of defaulting. The report, commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery project, also suggests supplying per-student financing for colleges with high retention and completion rates, developing a career advising system for students and restricting the number of new aid recipients at institutions below a determined standard.
