Henderson Oracle

It is here and most have no idea what it has done. It is health care reform.

Some of it takes effect now; most of it takes effect later.

What is clear is the impact it will have on students. Oh, is it not clear? Then students are in luck because Henderson has people here to help navigate through the political maze of health benefits and student loans.

"It’s very complicated. There’s a lot of layers, like an onion," said Kathy Taylor, director of human resources.

"All of these changes don’t go into effect until July 1," said Brenda Chambers, assistant director of financial aid. "But Henderson will start during summer one classes. This is so students don’t have to go through the loan process twice in one summer."

Health care has changed student loans. It is not actually as dramatic a change as most think. Instead of creating an entirely new program for student loans, banks have been removed from the equation.

The program used for all of this is called the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.

It has existed since 1993. Fortunately, the Federal Direct Loan Program has actually simplified part of the process of getting student loans. Once one fills out the NPN and counseling exam, he or she is automatically applied to receive a student loan.

If students do not want a student loan or want a reduced loan, then they have to fill out a Loan Change Request form, which can be found under the Financial Aid section at www.hsu.edu. The amount given out for a student loan has not changed. The only difference is that it is all from the government and students are applied for the loan automatically.

"I’ve reviewed the various professional Human Resource sources and information through multiple webinars from Blue Cross Blue Shield," said Taylor.

Taylor pointed out a few elements of the health care reform that might interest students, specifically health insurance regulations that have been developed by the IRS. "Not all regulations will apply to all employers," said Taylor.

"It will vary depending on such things as size of the employer and type of health insurance that the employer currently offers."

In other words, people should not expect that job at Cracker Barrel to start giving health benefits while working there this summer.

Another provision that will likely affect students has to do with the change to dependents being able to stay on their parents’ insurance policy, just as long as they are also attending college and under the age of 26.

This provision has not been finalized, pending on more regulations regarding the current IRS definition of dependent.

By 2014, a dependent can stay on their parent’s health insurance even if the dependent has access to other coverage. Health care reform is not changing what health care covers so much as it gives individuals more control over what health care they can own and afford.

Oh, and one more thing: if people like tanning, they should ready to pay a little more. There will be a 10 percent tax on the use of indoor tanning beds that go into affect July 1.