After a recent policy change, students in University of North Carolina schools will no longer have the option to be uninsured.  Uninsured students are now required to purchase health insurance through the University. It is unclear how much student input was sought or weighed in this decision-making process, though UNC President Erskine Bowles acknowledges that some students will be displeased at the self-termed "mandate."

The University's program will have relatively low premiums because of the bargaining power of the UNC school system. Also, students who receive financial aid will have those premiums factored into their aid packages. But that also means that the cost of health insurance will be added to some students' already-sky-high debt.

Sun News writer Eric Fererri reports that "students at each school would pay from $549 to $679 annually for $100,000 coverage with a $300 deductible." The UNC system says that the new packages would increase premiums for some, but also provide better care. The exact cost of the new plans to be offered by the university system is unknown because they have not yet begun to bargain with insurers.

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