Duke needs affordable healthcare

The Chronicle’s April 6 article “Insurance Questions Linger” omitted some very important figures. It should have noted that the Graduate and Professional Student Council is currently contemplating raising the costs of health insurance for students with families by $1,397 to $5,626 (for student, spouse, child) in order to save single students $69 to $279.

If they choose to go this route, the total cost for a student needing to insure self, spouse and child(ren) next year would be $7,091 to $11,320, compared with $1,310 to $1,520 for a single student (see http://www.duke. edu/gpsc/healthInsurance/familyInfo.html).

Increasing the cost of family health insurance in this way would tatter the academic and moral fiber of our University. It is true that single students currently subsidize the insurance costs of families, but it is also true that men subsidize women, non-smokers subsidize smokers and those without chronic illnesses subsidize those with such illnesses.

It is morally deplorable to target one group and decide to reduce or stop subsidizing it. All members of the Duke community should have access to affordable healthcare. Limiting such access could potentially cause students to drop out of our program, and it most certainly will hinder Duke’s ability to recruit prospective students with families. When that happens, Duke’s academic reputation will tarnish, and our University will fail to be the best that it can be.

Matthew Schlimm

Grad ’11