The Affordable Care Act will eventually affect most college students, even if they currently have a health insurance plan.

Many USI students are covered under their parents’ insurance. Under the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare,” young adults are able to stay on their parents’ insurance plan until age 26, even if they are married or have coverage through an employer.

A degree can be expensive. On top of paying for classes, some students struggle to pay rent, buy textbooks and scrape up enough money for various other expenses.

After factoring in loans and financial aid, many would struggle to pay for a health insurance plan. The age change under the ACA will benefit many students, and provide them with coverage until they have hopefully obtained their own insurance plan.

USI student Melissa Gill, 28, said she was no longer eligible for TRICARE insurance under the Marine Corps coverage plan.

She returned to USI in May 2013 after serving eight years of active duty. The business administration major said she was worried about how she would obtain health insurance for herself under the new ACA regulations.

“Once ‘Obamacare’ came about, I wasn’t sure if I would be taxed for not having health insurance,” Gill said. “Just last week, I received a letter stating that the VA (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs) is considered my insurance.”

Gill suffers from a traumatic brain injury and is required to see a physical therapist and a speech pathologist. She said the VA is currently understaffed, so they refer her to Deaconess or St. Mary’s Hospital, and the VA will pay the bills.

“When I go to the VA, they always ask me if I have secondary insurance,” Gill said. “They always ask because they will bill them first.”

Through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Gill will receive health benefits for up to five years after leaving active duty.

Although the new healthcare laws do not yet affect students, their choices in the near future will impact the success of the ACA.

Beginning Oct. 1, health exchanges became available for people who are not currently covered under a health insurance plan. They can visit a marketplace to compare prices and buy a private plan.

“Literally the whole exchange idea depends on young people signing up,” said Rohn Butterfield, health services instructor.

Butterfield teaches a healthcare finance course. He said assuming the law survives, it would be “tweaked, molded and changed” to the point where he will be teaching a different version of the law every semester.

One main aspect of the ACA is for people nationwide to have access to health insurance.

Health Services and Administration Associate Professor Kevin Valadares said the Affordable Care Act would show its success over a long-term period.

“More people with insurance is certainly better than less people,” Valadares said.

Beginning in 2014, most people will be required to obtain health insurance or they will have to pay a tax penalty. In 2014, the fee will be one percent of an individual’s yearly income, or $95 per person, per year – whichever is higher.

“Every student here is eventually going to leave USI,” Valadares said. “They will do a bunch of different things like get a job, get married and maybe have a family. They will be out in the real world, and “Obamacare” is out in the real world.”