A group of students at Notre Dame is seeking clarification on changes to their health care plans that go into effect starting July first. The confusion lies around reproductive health care.
The group, Irish 4 Reproductive Health, is circulatinga petitiondemanding clarity on cost and coverage for birth control and other reproductive health services. It’s at 120 signatures and counting.
Chissa Rivaldi is a member of the group. She said they have gotten some informationfrom the University...“A FAQ and an email from the administration but it definitely doesn’t break down the details of what we need to know.”
Coverage at the University has a convoluted history. When the Affordable Care Act passed the university added a supplemental plan that covered only birth control that is paid for through the federal government.
When the Trump administration expanded exemptions for the ACA mandated coverage, Notre Dame said they would drop the coverage. They walked that back saying they would cover some forms of birth control under their regular plan.
Kate Bermingham is a member of the group she said the information is important for planning purposes, particularly for students who have tight finances.
“When you’re on a fixed income, when you’re low income, those costs really add up and this could be a significant difference for my financial situation and we really just feel like people need to be able to plan for that.”
Irish 4 Reproductive Health have sent a letter and petition to University President Father John Jenkins with a reply deadline of Friday. The University declined to comment on the petition. The plans go into effect on July first for grad students and employees, in August for undergraduates.
