College Funding Changes In The Pandemic Relief Bill

There are several student financial aid provisions in the pandemic relief package that was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 that passed the House and Senate on Monday, December 21, 2020.

Student Loan Relief

Student loan borrowers are disappointed that the legislation did not include an extension to the student loan payment pause and interest waiver, nor did it provide any student loan forgiveness.

The payment pause and interest waiver is set to expire on January 31, 2021. President-elect Joe Biden will be able to extend it further after he takes office on January 20, 2021. Several possible extension dates have been floated, including April 1, April 30 and September 30, but Joe Biden has not yet said anything specific about the extension, just that it is needed.

Nevertheless, there are some changes in the legislation that affect student loan borrowers. In particular, the tax-free status of employer-paid student loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs), which was set to expired on December 31, 2020, has been extended for five years through the end of 2025. Such LRAPs will be exempt from income and FICA taxes for both the employee and the employer.

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SULA, a complicated set of limits on subsidized Federal Direct Stafford loans, has been repealed. SULA mostly affected students who transferred from a 4-year college to a 2-year college.

In addition, there have been a few changes concerning the U.S. Department of Education’s Next Generation Processing and Servicing Environment (NextGen) for federal student loans.

  • New student loan borrower accounts must be allocated to loan servicers based on their past performance and servicing capacity.
  • Borrower accounts must be reallocated from servicers for “recurring non-compliance with FSA guidelines, contractual requirements, and applicable laws, including for failure to sufficiently inform borrowers of available repayment options.” Applicable laws include consumer protection laws.
  • NextGen must allow for multiple student loan servicers that contract directly with the U.S. Department of Education.
  • NextGen must incentivize more support to borrowers at risk of delinquency or default.
  • Borrowers must be allowed to choose their loan servicer when they consolidate their federal loans.
  • The U.S. Department of Education must improve transparency through expanded publication of aggregate data concerning student loan servicer performance.

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Changes in College Tuition Tax Breaks

The legislation changes the income phaseouts for the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit (LLTC) to be the same as the income phaseouts for the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), starting with tax years that begin after December 31, 2020.

The Lifetime Learning Tax Credit will start phasing out at $80,000 for single filers and $160,000 for taxpayers who file as married filing jointly. The tax credit is fully phased out at $90,000 (single) and $180,000 (married filing jointly). Married taxpayers who file separate returns are not eligible.

For comparison, the 2020 income phaseouts for the LLTC were $59,000 to $68,000 (single) and $118,000 to $136,000 (married filing jointly).

The new income phaseouts will not be adjusted for inflation.

In addition, the legislation repeals the Tuition and Fees Deduction, effective with tax years that begin in 2021. This is a permanent repeal, so the Tuition and Fees Deduction will not be resurrected by the next tax extenders bill.

New Funding for Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

The $81.88 billion for the Education Stabilization Fund includes

  • $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
  • $22.7 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)
  • $4.05 billion for the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, of which $2.75 billion has been earmarked for Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund previously received $16 billion as part of the CARES Act.

The allocation formula for the HEERF funding is more complicated than the one in the CARES Act, but the allowable uses are similar. Public and private non-profit colleges are required to use at least half of the money for financial aid grants to students. Private for-profit colleges are required to use all of the money for financial aid grants to students. Colleges must provide at least the same amount of emergency financial aid grants to students as they did under the CARES Act provisions, even if their total allocation is lower.

The emergency financial aid grants to students can be used for any element of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs related to the pandemic, such as “tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care.”

The grants must be prioritized to students with exception financial need, such as Pell Grant recipients.

The emergency financial aid grants to students are tax-free.

Most College Students Remain Ineligible for Stimulus Checks

Most college students will remain ineligible for the recovery rebate checks, also known as the stimulus checks.

The legislation includes the same restriction that limits the $600 per qualifying child to children age 16 and younger. Only 0.1% of undergraduate students are age 16 or younger.

College students who are under age 24 are also ineligible, because they can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s federal income tax return. The remain ineligible even if they are not claimed on someone else’s tax return.

A college student might qualify if they are married and file a joint return with their spouse or if they provide more than half of their own support. About 15% of undergraduate students are married. College students who are 24 years old or older may also qualify. More than 40% of undergraduate students are 24 years old or older.

College students can still claim the $1,200 stimulus checks from the CARES Act in addition to the new $600 stimulus checks, if they are eligible.

Increase in the Maximum Pell Grant

The maximum Federal Pell Grant has been increased to $6,495 for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Eligibility criteria will be pegged to a multiple of the poverty line starting with the 2023-2024 academic year. Students will be eligible for the maximum Pell Grant if they and their parents/spouse, as applicable, are not required to file a federal income tax return or if their adjusted gross income (AGI) is less than 175% to 225% of the poverty line. The higher threshold is reserved for households involving a single parent.

FAFSA Simplification

The legislation simplifies the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) starting with the 2023-2024 academic year. The new FAFSA reduces the number of questions on the form by two-thirds, from 108 questions to about three dozen questions. Follow me on Twitter. Check out my website or some of my other work here

Mark Kantrowitz

Mark Kantrowitz

I am Publisher of PrivateStudentLoans.guru, a free web site about borrowing to pay for college. I am an expert on student financial aid, the FAFSA, scholarships, 529 plans, education tax benefits and student loans. I have been quoted in more than 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles about college admissions and financial aid. I am the author of five bestselling books about paying for college and have seven patents. I serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Student Financial Aid, the editorial advisory board of Bottom Line/Personal, and am a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education. I have previously served as publisher of Savingforcollege.com, Cappex, Edvisors, Fastweb and FinAid. I have two Bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Master’s degree in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

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University of California Television (UCTV)

How to pay for college is a pressing question for all applicants from the class of 2020. COVID-19 has caused financial uncertainty and many are having to rethink their plans. Jodi Okun, an expert in financial aid, joins Steven Mercer to talk about how the pandemic is impacting financial aid awards, what to do if your family’s financial situation has changed, and how to plan for the future in uncertain times. [Show ID: 35963] More from: STEAM Channel (https://www.uctv.tv/steam) UCTV is the broadcast and online media platform of the University of California, featuring programming from its ten campuses, three national labs and affiliated research institutions. UCTV explores a broad spectrum of subjects for a general audience, including science, health and medicine, public affairs, humanities, arts and music, business, education, and agriculture. Launched in January 2000, UCTV embraces the core missions of the University of California — teaching, research, and public service – by providing quality, in-depth television far beyond the campus borders to inquisitive viewers around the world. (https://www.uctv.tv)

Kura Sushi Returns $6 Million Paycheck Protection Loan. Will Other Restaurant Chains Follow?

Kura Sushi, the U.S. restaurant chain that is majority owned by a Japanese company, said on Wednesday that it would be returning the $5.98 million loan it recently received through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program.

Kura Sushi is the second publicly traded restaurant chain to return money it received from the emergency small business financial effort being run by the Small Business Administration. Shake Shack said earlier this week that the burger chain would be giving back the $10 million it secured through the program.

The move by Kura Sushi will likely put more pressure on other restaurant chains and larger enterprises that have received funding through the Paycheck Protection Program.

On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expresses satisfaction that Shake Shack was returning its emergency loan proceeds and urged other larger publicly traded companies to follow its lead. He said that the SBA would be issuing new guidance on the certifications that borrowers made under the program, suggesting some companies may find themselves in a position of breaching the certification.

“There is a certification that people are making and I ask people just make sure the intent of this was for business that needed the money … the intent of this money was not for big public companies that have access to capital,” Mnuchin said. “If you pay back the loan right away you won’t have liability to the SBA and to Treasury but there are severe consequences for people who don’t attest properly to this certification.”

The $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program ran out of money last week before many small businesses in America were able to tap it for emergency funding. The funds that Kura Sushi and Shake Shack are returning cannot be used to make new small business loans unless Congress authorizes new funds for the Paycheck Protection Program. The Senate on Tuesday approved a $484 billion package that would replenish the program and the House is expected to take up the legislation on Thursday.

The small business emergency funding program offers two-year loans of up to $10 million, with the principal forgivable if the proceeds are largely used for payroll and to keep people employed. While the loans are meant for small business with fewer than 500 employees, some restaurant chains that did not employ more than 500 people at a single location were allowed to obtain the loans.

Some of the public companies that were able to tap the program had market capitalizations greater than $100 million and seemed to have other financing options. Shake Shack, for example, conducted a $150 million share offering on Friday. Other restaurant chains that received funding from the program include J. Alexander’s Holdings, which obtained two separate loans totaling $15.1 million, and Ruth’s Hospitality Group  RUTH , which operates the Ruth’s Chris Steak House chain and got $20 million through two different subsidiaries.

Kura Sushi had $30 million of cash and cash equivalents on hand as of the end of February, Securities & Exchange Commission filings show. Kura Sushi, which is based in Irvine, Calif., was established in 2008 as a subsidiary of a Japanese sushi restaurant chain that goes by the same name. Kura Sushi is listed on the Nasdaq NDAQ and operates 23 restaurants across five states. Its initial Japanese parent company still owns more than 50% of the company.

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I am a senior editor at Forbes who likes digging into Wall Street, hedge funds and private equity firms, looking for both the good and the bad. I also focus on the intersection of business and the law.

Source: Kura Sushi Returns $6 Million Paycheck Protection Loan. Will Other Restaurant Chains Follow?

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He Got $221,000 Of Student Loan Forgiveness, But Then This Happened

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This veteran thought he got $221,000 of student loan forgiveness, but then this happened. Here’s what you need to know.

Student Loans: Bankruptcy

A Navy veteran was granted $221,000 of of student loan forgiveness, which is also known as student loan discharge. U.S. bankruptcy judge in New York, Cecilia G. Morris, ruled that Kevin J. Rosenberg will not have to repay his student loan debt because it will impose an undue financial hardship.

However, in a relatively rare move in bankruptcy cases, his student loan servicer, Education Credit Management Corporation (ECMC), is now appealing the ruling.

“Instead of pursuing those opportunities available to him, and paying back his taxpayer-backed federal student loans, Plaintiff, for the past 10 years, has held various positions in the outdoor adventure industry, including starting up and running his own tour guide business,” ECMC wrote in filings.

ECMC claims that Rosenberg, who has a law degree from Cordozo Law School at Yeshiva University, could have earned more income working as an attorney. Rosenberg borrowed $116,500 of student loans between 1993 and 2004. He filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2018 and asked the court last June to discharge his student loan debt, which had grown to $221,400, including interest. At the time of filing, Rosenberg’s annual salary was $37,600, and after living and debt expenses, his monthly net loss was $1,500.

Traditionally, unlike mortgages or credit card debt, student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. There are exceptions, however, namely if certain conditions regarding financial hardship are met.

The Brunner Test: Financial Hardship

Those conditions are reflected in the Brunner test, which is the legal test in all circuit courts, except the 8th circuit and 1st circuit. The 8th circuit uses a totality of circumstances, which is similar to Brunner, while the 1st circuit has yet to declare a standard.

In plain English, the Brunner standard says:

  1. the borrower has extenuating circumstances creating a hardship;
  2. those circumstances are likely to continue for a term of the loan; and
  3. the borrower has made good faith attempts to repay the loan. (The borrower does not actually have to make payments, but merely attempt to make payments – such as try to find a workable payment plan.)

“Inability to pay one’s debts by itself cannot be sufficient to establish an undue hardship; otherwise all bankruptcy litigants would have an undue hardship,” ECMC argued.

What Else Can You Do If You’re Struggling To Make Student Loan Payments?

Here are some potential action steps:

1. Income-Driven Repayment: For federal student loans, consider an income-driven repayment plan such as IBR, PAYE or REPAYE. Your payment is based on your discretionary income, family size and other factors, and you can receive federal student loan forgiveness on the remaining balance after 20 or 25 years of payments. However, you will owe income taxes on the amount of student loans forgiven.

2. Pay Off Other Debt: Pay off credit card debt first. Credit card debt typically has a higher interest rate than student loans. You may qualify for a personal loan at a lower interest rate, which can be used to pay off credit card debt, save you money in interest costs and potentially improve your credit score.

3. Contact your lender: If you’re facing financial struggle, don’t keep it a secret from your lender. Contact your lender to discuss alternative payment options.

4. Refinance student loans: Student loan refinancing rates are incredibly cheap right now and start at 1.99%. Student loan refinancing is the fastest way to pay off student loan debt. To qualify, you’ll need a credit score of at least 650 and enough monthly income for living expenses and debt repayment. If you meet those requirements, you may be a good candidate for student loan refinancing. If you don’t, you can also apply with a cosigner to help you get approved and get a lower interest rate.

This student loan refinancing calculator shows how much you can save with student loan refinancing.

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Zack Friedman is the bestselling author of the blockbuster book, The Lemonade Life: How To Fuel Success, Create Happiness, and Conquer Anything. Apple named The Lemonade Life one of “Fall’s Biggest Audiobooks” and a “Must-Listen.” Zack is the Founder & CEO of Make Lemonade, a leading online personal finance company that empowers you to live a better financial life. He is an in-demand speaker and has inspired millions through his powerful insights. Previously, he was chief financial officer of an international energy company, a hedge fund investor, and worked at Blackstone, Morgan Stanley, and the White House. Zack holds degrees from Harvard, Wharton, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins.

Source: He Got $221,000 Of Student Loan Forgiveness, But Then This Happened

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Student Loan Refinancing Just Got Crazy Cheaper

Student loan refinancing rates have dropped even lower.

Here’s why and what you need to know.

Student Loan Refinancing: Rates Drop Even Further

Student loan refinance rates now have dropped to as low as 2.01%.

Why? The Federal Reserve cut interest rates, and lenders have reduced student loan refinancing rates to a near-term low. That’s great news for student loan borrowers who want to refinance student loans, get a lower interest rate and save money.

Here’s how to refinance your student loans.

Student Loan Refinancing: Should I Refinance Student Loans?

Today In: Money

Many people ask: Should I refinance student loans?

If you want to save money and pay off student loans faster, student loan refinance is an effective tool. When you refinance student loans, you exchange your current student loans for a new, single student loan with a lower interest rate.

Student loan refinancing has several advantages, including:

  • lower interest rate
  • single monthly payment
  • fixed or variable interest rate
  • flexible 5-20 year loan repayment term
  • one student loan servicer
  • pay off your student loans faster
  • save money

Student Loan Refinancing: How To Apply

If you want to know how to refinance student loans, it’s important to understand how to apply. The good news: the process is simple.

Step 1: Find the best interest rate

There are multiple trusted, online lenders that can refinance student loans with low interest rates and easy, online applications. Compare the best interest rates and loan terms. Most borrowers will refinance student loans with the lender who gives them the lowest interest rate. Most lenders allow you to check your preliminary interest rate online for free within two to three minutes without any impact to your credit score.

Step 2: Use a student loan refinancing calculator 

This free student loan refinance calculator shows you how much money you can save when you refinance student loans.

For example, let’s assume you have a $100,000 student loan at an 8% interest rate and 10-year repayment term. If you refinance that student loan with a 3.0% interest rate and 10-year repayment term, you would lower your monthly payment by $248 and save $29,720 in total payments. If you are a doctor, dentist or pharmacist with a large student loan balance, your savings may be even higher.

Step 3: Apply online

You can apply online for student loan refinancing. Most applications take 10-15 minutes to complete. You can also upload any supporting documents, which may include a copy of your driver’s license, transcripts, recent paystubs or job offer letter.

Student Loan Refinance: Key Questions

1. Do I qualify for student loan refinance?

While each lender has its own underwriting criteria, the best candidates for student loan refinancing typically have the following:

  • A credit score of 65o or higher
  • Current employment or a written job offer
  • Stable, recurring monthly income
  • A low debt-to-income ratio
  • No defaults on their student loans

What if you don’t satisfy these requirements? You should apply with a co-signer with strong credit and income. Your co-signer can help you get approved for student loan refinancing and help you receive a lower interest rate. Your co-signer will be equally financially responsible for the student loan. However, some lenders allow the co-signer to be released from any financial obligations after meeting certain requirements.

You can maximize your chances of getting approved to refinance student loans by applying to multiple lenders. Each lender makes a separate decision, so getting rejected from one lender does not negatively impact your chances with another lender.

2. Can you refinance Parent PLUS Loans?

Yes. Parent PLUS Loans carry relatively high interest rates, so refinancing Parent PLUS Loans is a smart way to lower your interest rate and save money.

3. What are the fees to refinance student loans?

There are no fees to refinance your student loans. If any lender tries to charge you a fee to refinance student loans, find another lender. There are also no prepayment penalties, so you can pay off student loans anytime with no charge.

4. Should I refinance my federal student loans?

You should not refinance federal student loans if:

  • you plan to pursue public service loan forgiveness or an income-driven repayment plan
  • you want access to deferral or forbearance options

You can still refinance your private student loans and leave your federal student loans outstanding. Most lenders today offer employment protection if you lose your job and want to pause your monthly payments.

5. When should I refinance student loans? How often can I refinance student loans?

When should you refinance student loans? The answer: you should refinance student loans whenever you qualify for a lower interest rate. If you can get a lower interest rate and save more money, then it may be a smart financial move.

How often can you refinance student loans? There are no fees to apply, no fees to refinance, and no limit to how often you can refinance student loans.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Zack Friedman is the bestselling author of the highly-anticipated, blockbuster book, The Lemonade Life: How To Fuel Success, Create Happiness, and Conquer Anything. Zack is the founder and chief executive officer of Make Lemonade, a leading personal finance company that empowers you to live a better financial life. He is an in-demand speaker and has inspired millions through his powerful insights. Previously, he was chief financial officer of an international energy company, a hedge fund investor, and worked at Blackstone, Morgan Stanley, and the White House. Zack holds degrees from Harvard, Wharton, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins.

Source: Student Loan Refinancing Just Got Crazy Cheaper

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The Big College Expense You Probably Didn’t Know About And Save For: Mandatory Health Insurance

Watch out: If your health insurance does not meet the requirements set by the college your child attends, you may be forced to buy an entirely new policy sold or sponsored by the college. This potential cost is often omitted from listed expenses of attendance. Here's how you can get a waiver.

Watch out: If your health insurance does not meet the requirements set by the college your child attends, you may be forced to buy an entirely new policy sold or sponsored by the college. This potential cost is often omitted from listed expenses of attendance. Here’s how you can get a waiver.

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Even though you may have solid health insurance for your family, the policy’s provisions may not meet the requirements set by the college your child attends. That means you may be forced to buy an entirely new policy the college sells or sponsors. At some colleges, the cost of the policy is over $5,000 for the 2019–2020 academic year (see the table below).

The way to avoid this charge is to get a waiver from your college by proving you have a health-insurance plan that’s comparable to the one it sells. The process to do this for the academic year often occurs in July and August or the month before the tuition bills come out.

There is a good reason for colleges’ mandatory health insurance and its stringent requirements. Colleges are understandably concerned that students could face debt from medical expenses that dwarfs even their student-loan debt. And while the cost of mandatory student health insurance is often a big surprise for many families, in some situations the college’s insurance policy can actually present both savings and a better plan. However, colleges need to improve their grade in making students and parents aware of this large mandatory additional expense.

My Surprise

About a month before receiving the bill for my daughter’s freshman year, I received a form email from the college stating that she was automatically enrolled in its student health-insurance plan unless I completed an online application to receive a waiver. The cost of the policy was around $1,500. This cost was not listed in the table the college posted on its website and not part of the cost data that appears in various other websites and books as an expense of attendance for the college.

I’m a financial educator focused on equity compensation (stock options, restricted stock, ESPPs) through the website myStockOptions.com, which even has a section on financial planning for college funding. Thus I’m financially aware and had rigorously saved for my kids’ college education, mostly in 529 Plans. This new and large cost completely shocked and baffled me.

I run a small business and already pay about $12,000 per year for a family plan. I did not see the need to pay for another health plan. While I was able to obtain the waiver and opt out of this additional expense for my daughter’s four years of college, for my son, now at another university, it’s more challenging and complex.

I soon discovered that many colleges have similar requirements. How did I fail to know about this expense? Why are colleges in the business of health insurance?

What I Learned

Your college student will receive healthcare from the student health center on campus as part of the tuition and health-services fee you pay. The health-insurance requirement kicks in for anything beyond the health services the school can provide. Health insurance that would cover emergency care for your child, which for most students would be the only reason they would need additional healthcare, may not meet the requirements the college sets.

The Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) allows colleges to sell health insurance and set their own higher standards based on what the school determines its students need. They can make having health insurance comparable to the plan they offer a condition of enrollment. See FAQs from the American College Health Association, other resources on its website from the Student Health Insurance/Benefits Plan Coalition, and a discussion of regulations in the United States Federal Register.

Colleges’ standards dive deep into the minutiae of insurance plans. They are very specific about the insurance features they want students at their location to have before waiving the obligation to buy their plan. In addition, under either federal or state laws, colleges cannot sell short-term or supplemental plans that simply fill the gaps where your health insurance does not meet the college’s requirements.

What It Costs

In the table below is the yearly mandatory health-insurance fee I found on websites at selected colleges, showing a wide range in this cost. Most colleges do not offer a choice of plans or alternative insurers. Plus, these costs rise yearly, even faster than tuition costs. I selected colleges from the West, Midwest, East, and South (two per region). For each region, I selected one larger university and one liberal-arts college.

College Cost of student health insurance
Stanford $5,208
Pomona (and other Claremont Colleges) $2,551
Northwestern $4,050
Oberlin $1,694
Boston University $2,466 (basic plan); $3,297 (premium)
Swarthmore $1,784
Duke $3,535
Davidson $2,295

Colleges Need To Improve Disclosures About This Potential Cost

Below is an example that illustrates how colleges present the requirement on their websites, yet leave the insurance cost out of the main table of college expenses. I selected from the table Northwestern University as an example of a college that does have information on its website about student health insurance in various places, but like other colleges seems to sidestep listing it clearly in a table of its costs of enrollment. (Disclosure: I’m a fellow Big Ten alum from University of Michigan, a college that does not have mandatory health insurance but does offer a student plan.)

The screenshot below is from the webpage that shows the requirement for health insurance ($4,050 in 2019–2020):

Northwestern's requirement for health insurance ($4,050 in 2019–2020)

Northwestern’s requirement for health insurance ($4,050 in 2019–2020)

Northwestern University

The next screenshot shows the webpage with specific provisions that a health plan must have:

Northwestern's requirements for coverage by a health insurance.

Northwestern’s requirements for coverage by a health insurance.

Northwestern University

Lastly, this screenshot is from the webpage showing costs of enrollment at Northwestern:

Costs of enrollment at Northwestern. Note that while the health-service fee is listed, the mandatory cost of the student health-insurance plan is not included.

Costs of enrollment at Northwestern. Note that while the health-service fee is listed, the mandatory cost of the student health-insurance plan is not included.

Northwestern University

Note that while the health-service fee is listed, the mandatory cost of the student health-insurance plan is not included. It is mentioned separately as a requirement on another page. A common practice at all colleges is that this information does not appear in this type of key table of costs. It’s like leaving a critical question blank that’s worth at least 25% of the points in a final exam.

At a minimum, colleges should voluntarily at least footnote the potential cost of health insurance when they list the health-service fee and the total cost of enrollment. While I do not believe colleges are being deliberately sneaky about selling student health insurance, leaving out this cost is less than totally transparent. After all, colleges do list the cost of books, which (unlike health insurance) they can’t force students to buy; and most students find ways to lower that cost when it comes out of their own pocket (ask my kids for their savvy advice). Therefore, colleges should provide more upfront transparency about the mandatory cost of health insurance and waiver process.

Five Steps Students And Parents Need To Take

1. Once you know what college your child will be attending, be sure you check its requirements for student health insurance to determine whether you may need to pay for its student health plan. You may have time to switch into another plan to meets its standards, hopefully before the open enrollment period for the year in your current plan.

2. Look for a notice by mid-summer from the college stating that the student has been automatically enrolled in its plan, unless you opt out of it by obtaining a waiver and how to do so. This could be an email (or also a colorful postcard, which I receive for my son from Cornell University that has very specific requirements and a $3,108 fee in 2019). It may be sent via a third-party service provider/insurance broker whose website you use to submit the waiver request, such as Gallagher Student Health.

The process is a black box in some ways, unless you’re familiar with very specific provisions in your health plan. You input information about your health insurance without knowing whether or how your plan will qualify. To then receive an email that you “earned” the waiver, your plan needs to provide comparable coverage to what the college sells or sponsors.

Complete and submit the waiver application on time. Do not delay, as you may have to pay a fee for submitting it late and you may experience a backup in any later rounds should your initial waiver request be denied. Even if you do submit it on time, the college may need it earlier than the late-fee deadline. Otherwise, the charge will still appear on your tuition/bursar statement (it then gets credited back).

Alert: You will face an additional college cost unless you apply for and receive the waiver. Colleges should explicitly state this in their communications to students and parents.

3. Should your waiver request at first be denied, as it was for my son from Cornell, contact your health insurer to see whether you can get a letter documenting that your health plan meets the school’s requirements. You want to then resubmit your waiver request with this letter. Should you still be denied, your college will probably have an internal process for submitting a waiver request to someone at the college responsible for student health insurance.

If you have an HMO plan that does not have facilities in the state of your college or any limits in your plan on its out-of-area network, you are likely to face challenges in getting the waiver, as will students with an out-of-state Medicaid plan or a plan that covers only catastrophic illness. International students will almost certainly need to buy the school’s plan. (My own experience and that of others is mentioned near the end of a Boston Globe article: College-bound? The fees could end up being a big surprise.)

4. The tuition/bursar statement will have lines with many fees on it, ranging from the big tuition number to a student activity fee. Look out for a line on your tuition bill/bursar statement that seems like it could be for student health insurance (at Cornell it’s SHP Premium). Do not assume this is just another fee for the college that is part of the already extremely large sum you thought you had to pay for attending it. This is an additional fee that is potentially waivable, even if it was disclosed in a prior communication and you simply didn’t see it or receive the information.

Question your college about this fee before you pay it. I suggest that colleges put an asterisk next to this item on the bursar statement with a footnote stating that this fee is waivable and explaining the process for obtaining a waiver. That would further help prevent the unnecessary payment of this large fee when a student already has health insurance that would qualify.

5. Evaluate whether the student health-insurance plan is actually a good option to consider. For example, when you have a family plan with just one child on it, switching to a plan for a couple (or just yourself if you’re a single parent) and buying the college plan for your student can potentially reduce costs. For students who lack health insurance or have an inadequate plan, these policies offer a comprehensive choice.

As you’re scrambling to pay the upcoming semester’s tuition bill, it can be a big hassle to suddenly switch health insurers for the student, particularly if the school’s policy does not cover the doctors you now use. You would also need to change your own plan after you enrolled in it. However, if it makes financial sense and provides at least similar coverage to what you have, this is a route to at least consider. See articles from Consumer Reports and The New York Times that discuss this approach in evaluating college health insurance.

I’ve devoted most of my professional career to making complex legal and tax concepts understandable to people who do not enjoy reading the securities laws or the Internal Revenue Code. In myStockOptions.com, I created the premier online resource of educational content and tools on stock compensation (stock options, restricted stock, and employee stock purchase plans) for plan participants, financial advisors, and companies. myNQDC.com is a sibling website I created on nonqualified deferred compensation. With the resources on these websites and my other writing and speaking, I try to help you get more value out of these compensation plans and prevent mistakes. While I have a law degree (University of Virginia), for most of my working life I’ve created legal, tax, and financial-planning publications, websites, books, and videos. I also coach a high-school tennis team and co-wrote with my wife a popular travel book (Watch It Made in the USA).

Source: The Big College Expense You Probably Didn’t Know About And Save For: Mandatory Health Insurance

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