Health Care Is a New Flash Point for Graduate Students
After receiving basic health insurance while working for a small consulting company, Kevin J. Reuning, a would-be graduate student, was pleased to learn about Pennsylvania State University’s generous plan. During a recruitment event, a Penn State doctoral student told him that her out-of-pocket costs for having a baby had been $75 total. But now, two years after starting his Ph.D. program in political science, his deductible has more than tripled, to $250, premiums have increased, and coverage has been reduced. Mr. Reuning is one of a growing number of graduate students angered by recent reductions in their health insurance brought on by the Affordable Care Act — changes that have exacerbated already tense relations between Ph.D. students and universities over working conditions.