Whether it is an issue now or when you are older, health care affects you as a student soon entering the workforce. Whether Obama stays in office or Romney takes the White House, your method of receiving affordable and accessible medical care will rely heavily on the outcome on Election Day.

STUDENTS AND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Since President Obama took office in 2008, health care has been at the forefront of his administration’s agenda. The passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 is considered one of his greatest achievements in this past term, an achievement that Republican candidate Mitt Romney has adamantly vowed to repeal if elected to office.

So what does this mean for you — the students tucked away at a private university, about graduate into a different world? Young voters have opinions on many issues surrounding this election, and students may not have health care as a driving force behind their vote. Perhaps they should.

Tisch alumna Whitney Young is currently freelancing as an actress and singer. Health insurance is another item she has added to her new list of worries.

“My health insurance is provided by my parents,” Young said. “Fortunately, I am covered by the Affordable Care Act which is fantastic seeing as I am essentially an unemployed, struggling artist without the health benefits that accompany most jobs.”

The recently passed Affordable Care Act requires that all Americans have health insurance in some capacity. But NYU enacted its own version of this a few years ago: Students enrolled in degree-granting programs are required to maintain health insurance. The university’s health insurance also automatically charges students approximately $900 every semester for coverage.

The Student Health Center also provides options for students to opt out of their plan. To do so, students must submit proof of coverage that includes inpatient and outpatient hospitalization benefits in the New York City area.

But upon graduation, the luxuries of NYU health care expire as students will need to find their own coverage. The Affordable Care Act allows dependents to remain on their parent’s insurance plans until the age of 26 if their employers do not cover health care costs, which could benefit recent graduates who work part-time or are in positions that usually do not include health benefits. Prior to the act, many people’s coverage on their parents’ plans ended at 18 or when they graduated from school.

“Students and young adults have enough to worry about after college and graduation than to worry about how they are going to pay to go to the doctor,” said Allison Malloy, a Gallatin senior graduating in May. “Today I actually went to the doctor and had a $10 co-pay. I feel extremely lucky and fortunate to be able to not worry about how I will pay for doctors’ appointments.”

One element of the plan that will take effect in 2014 will offer employees and their families who are not afforded health insurance by their employers the option to purchase a low-cost plan through an online insurance market. The system will work much like that of the travel or car insurance websites that compare rates on hotel rooms, rental cars or airline tickets. Consumers will be able to compare plans and costs and select the one that works best for their economic and health-related situations.

While the Affordable Care Act gives Americans an option to select their own plans, it does not give citizens the choice to opt out of health insurance altogether. Under the legislative act signed into law by Obama, Americans are now fined one-twelfth of their annual income they choose to forgo insurance. This percentage is slated to gradually increase in subsequent years to almost two percent.

Romney has vowed that if elected into office, he will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on the first day of his term. Its replacement has not yet been revealed. For the NYU community, students will still be insured through the university. For the recent graduates however, health care coverage may be left to the states.

For Young, a repeal of the Affordable Care Act may bring a heavy burden on her own finances.

“If, God forbid, I am still unemployed, I don’t know what I would do for health care,” she said. “And it’s obviously a terrible idea to live without it, hoping nothing will happen to you.”

But while Romney has vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he is also a proponent of universal health care, which is evident by the act he passed into law for the state of Massachusetts in 2006, during his time as governor. But for Romney, the modus operandi to accomplish the goal is vastly different.

“What I did, worked for our state in the way the Constitution intends, which is states crafting a plan that worked for their states–not a federal one size fits all plan,” Romney said in a 2011 interview with Bret Bair for Fox News.

It is unclear what specific policies Romney will outline if he is elected. But in an interview with David Gregory of NBC, Romney assured constituents that he would work will ensure “that the marketplace allows for individuals to have policies that cover their family up to whatever age they might like.” This could be good news for dependents who may need to rely on their parents’ health insurance plans after graduation and the first few years navigating the job market.

What the expert says:

Diane Tobing, Assistant director of insurance and billing at NYU Student Health Center

Q: What is the importance of all NYU students having health insurance while enrolled?

A: While most undergraduate and graduate college students are in good health and face few serious illnesses in school, medical and psychological issues can arise at any time, sometimes without warning. With the high cost of health care in the United States, the absence of adequate insurance coverage can result in temporary or permanent interruption of a student’s education.

Q: Are there options for students that cannot afford health insurance? 

A: All matriculated NYU students have access to a comprehensive set of medical and mental health services at the Student Health Center, many at low cost or no cost. However, this does not eliminate the importance for students to maintain adequate health insurance coverage for primary and specialty care when they are off campus or at home. Students who are employed should check with their employers to see if they can enroll through their employer’s group plan. Even if the cost may be at the student’s own expense, he or she would be able to take advantage of the employee plan group discount.

Q: What happens to students covered by the NYU Health Insurance plan after graduation? 

A: Students who were covered under the Student Health Insurance Plans and then complete their degree programs have the option to continue their coverage for an additional one-month, three-month or six-month period at an additional cost. Students who graduated are no longer able to access care at the Student Health Center.

Q: How does the Affordable Care Act affect the NYU Health Insurance Plan, if at all? 

A: Each year, the university evaluates the program with regard to its costs and benefits. The overall goal of the NYU-sponsored Student Health Insurance Program is to provide our students with comprehensive quality health care, which will ensure their well-being as they pursue their studies. In meeting this goal, the benefits package of the NYU Plans has often exceeded statutory mandates.

A version of this article appeared in the Friday, Oct. 26 print edition. Bridgette Doran is a senior editor. Email her at [email protected].