This is a new requirement, implemented this year by the University. It requires that students' private insurance plans "cover care related to pregnancy and delivery". If a student's insurance plan does not cover such care, they will be forced to buy into the University Aetna plan. 

This requirement has several implications:

1) Students with pre-existing conditions, whose insurance does not cover maternity care, may be rejected by Aenta, or their conditions might be refused reimbursement/coverage because of their pre-existing status. Students could be left paying for expensive medical procedures that their private insurance would have covered.

2) Some insurance companies, including HumanaOne (a major national insurance company), do not even offer maternity care for the state of New York. This means that students covered by such insurance companies have no choice but to buy into the Aetna plan. 

3) The Aetna plan offered by the University costs $1,956 for the 2012-2013 year, for a monthly premium of $163. According to eHealth's survey of policies*, the average premium for 2009-2011 for 18-24 year olds was $106, putting the average cost of coverage at $1,272/year. The cost of Aetna's student insurance is much more expensive than most private insurance options for students under their parents' policies. However, if a student's private insurance does not cover maternity care, they will be forced to purchase this more expensive option.

This new policy by the University essentially requires that all privately-insured students purchase the plan offered by the University, giving them no choice in their own potential care or coverage. A student's choice in insurance is a personal matter, but the University has ignored its students' rights to decisions regarding their own bodies and budgets, instead choosing to focus solely on the bottom-line of profit for themselves.

If you are effected by this new maternity care requirement in any way, please consider signing the petition below. Thank you.

Sources: http://news.ehealthinsurance.com/pr/ehi/document/2011_Cost__and__Benefits_Report_FINAL.pdf