Michelle's Law passes through the U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate passed a version of N.H.'s "Michelle's law" on Sept. 25, 2008. Michelle's law guarantees health insurance for ill students who need health insurance despite being unable to maintain a full class load.

Michelle Morse, the namesake of the law was a junior at PSU studying Childhood studies when she discovered she had colon cancer in Dec. of 2003.

Important cancer treatments led Michelle from the PSU campus to Boston Hospitals. The treatments forced Michelle to leave school, but her medical insurance was directly tied to her remaining a full time student.

Morse's mother's insurance would not cover her. If Morse were to leave PSU, the family would have been forced to pay higher insurance premiums through a C.O.B.R.A (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). The premiums with C.O.B.R.A insurance are often high, and it only works as a temporary means of insurance.

It became apparent at this time that this case was not original to the Morse family, but rather, it was an epidemic that was occurring around the University System of New Hampshire.

Often times, students are forced to continue their education as a full student despite pressing medical issues in order to keep their health insurance.

Michelle's mother, Annemarie Morse worked with N.H. representatives Paul Hodes and John Sununu in order to create a law allowing students to take time off from their studies and still receive health insurance benefits bestowed to full time students.

According to a press release from the National Patient Advocate Foundation, "It [Michelle's law] was named for the late Michelle Morse, a 20 year old student at Plymouth State University who found it necessary to remain a full time student as she was undergoing treatment from advanced colon cancer because, due to laws in place at the time, her parents health insurance would not cover the cost of her care,"

Shortly after Michelle's diagnosis, her mother began rallying N.H. politicians for support, "I first wrote to my state legislators on Dec, 28 2003, just fourteen days after Michelle was diagnosed with colon cancer. My first testimony before any N.H. House committee was on Jan. 8, 2005 and the bill was signed into law [N.H. law] on June 22, 2006," Annemarie Morse, Michelle's mother said.

Unfortunately, Michelle passed away in 2005 shortly after her graduation from PSU. Several days after Michelle's passing, the N.H. House of Representatives approved a law in Michelle's namesake guaranteeing full time students the right to take time off and keep health insurance.

According to Ms. Morse, a large band of people and organizations worked together to get Michelle's law to the State Senate, and then on to the U.S. Congress, "There were many people who supported the bill and would testify on behalf of Michelle's Law. Some of them were Representative Will Infantine (R-Manchester) Representative John DeJoie (D-Concord) Dick Hage from PSU just to name a few," Morse said.

Nearly three years after the N.H. house approved the law, The U.S. senate approved a law very similar to the one Annemarie lobbied for. According to a press release from the National Patient Advocate Foundation, "The U.S. Senates unanimous passage of Michelle's law, which will extend existing health insurance coverage for dependent college students for up to one year in the event of a medically necessary leave of absence.

The law was passed on Thurs. Sept. 25 by the U.S. senate. The original bill was introduced to the U.S. House of Representative by N.H. representatitive Paul Hodes in July of 2008.

The bill is now headed to the Oval office pending approval from President Bush. The bill must be signed by President Bush before he leaves office in order for it to be signed into law.

"If the bill is going to be signed into law, it has to happen during this session which includes President Bush," Morse said.

"If the bill were to be signed into law by President Bush it would be effective for one year following enactment. Michelle's Law received support from more than 20 of the nation's leading insurance, health and advocacy organizations united in the belief severely ill patients should be able to focus on their medical recovery without facing financial hardship. Upon its signing into law, the legislation will apply to all dependent students who are enrolled at post-secondary educational institutions and require a medical leave of absence due it a serous illness or injury. It will also cover all health plans as governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security," according to the National Patient Advocate Foundation Press Release.

"We are very happy about the progress on Michelle's Law. Many PSU folks worked on behalf of the bill when Annemarie took it through the N.H. Legislature," PSU Provost Julie Bernier said.

"No one should have to do what Michelle did in order to maintain healthcare. This bill will be a huge victory for the Morse's on behalf of students and their families across the nation," Bernier added.

"This law began as a story about Michelle and our family, but it is not for our family, it is for other families that may have a college student who becomes seriously ill or injured," Ms. Morse said.

"It was a victorious day for any seriously ill/injured college student and his or her family when the bill passed through the Senate. Now if they find they must take a leave of absence from college due to an illness or injury they can do so without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage," Ms. Morse said.

Currently, Bush has not yet signed the bill into law. With the upcoming election on the horizon, time maybe running short for Bush to sign the bill into law, guaranteeing all college students the rights unavailable to Michelle five years ago.