Hello all!
Since this is the first post, I figure this is a good a place as any to state what this blog's about, what the SHCI's about, and all points around and inbetween.
SHCI, or, the Student Health Care Initiative, is a group of students at Wake Forest University who are championing efforts to have health insurance included under the tuition bill at Wake, so that grants and other private aid can be applied to it. This way, we can effectively ensure that every student at Wake Forest, regardless of income or status, can obtain health insurance.
SHCI has been around since late August of 2007. Beginning as a class project, SHCI has grown into a full-fledged organization, transcending the bounds of the classroom. As support and momentum increases, we feel that it is beneficial to start our own blog, in order to publicize and communicate our efforts.
According to the Student Handbook here at Wake Forest, the university "requires" all students to have some form of health insurance. However, due to the cost of health insurance, and the number of students without it, the university has long shirked over this rule and has done little to check. In order to solve this problem, our organization proposes that the cost of health insurance be added to the overall tuition bill, so that it can be covered under grants for students whose families are under a certain income. If private health insurance can be verified for a student, then it is easily taken off the bill, and no one has to pay any more than they would ordinarily.
So far, things are running fairly smoothly. We've met with people who have similar and different opinions, but we feel like we are progressing right on key. We have a meeting with the University Senate in February to discuss our plans and goals, where hopefully we will be able to make some major headway.
If you have any ideas, questions or comments for us, send us an e-mail at SCHInitiative@gmail.com. We'll keep you updated on our progress here.
Thanks,
-Dalton Hoffine
Student Health Care Initiative
