The United States spends more per person on healthcare than any other economically developed nation, yet tens of millions of Americans remain uninsured or struggle to afford the costs their insurance is supposed to help cover. Approximately 27 million people in the U.S. are currently uninsured, about 8 percent of the population. Millions more are underinsured—they have insurance but face out-of-pocket costs that are difficult to afford.
Many universities require students who do not have comparable coverage to enroll in a university-sponsored plan. At universities with mandatory insurance, students generally cannot opt out simply because they prefer to go uninsured. For students 25 or younger on a parent’s plan that meets the university’s requirements, this mandate poses little additional financial burden. But for low-income students, international and/or undocumented students, as well as students no longer on a parent’s plan, University-required insurance can create a serious financial hardship.
At the University of Chicago, if you are not on a parent’s plan or do not demonstrate coverage comparable to the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP), you are automatically enrolled in U-SHIP and charged $5,517 per year, billed in three quarterly installments of $1,839. For a student already grappling with the cost of tuition and basic living expenses, this additional burden can be devastating.
Given the number of students who face this painful reality, including myself, I began having conversations with students across campus about their struggles to afford U-SHIP. To better understand the scope of the problem, I also sent out a survey to document how students were being financially impacted by U-SHIP premiums. The responses painted a sobering picture of the financial strain students were experiencing. One student confided: “USHIP is half of my remaining tuition balance of $10,000, [and] I won’t be able to register for Spring classes until I pay it. I don’t know how I’m going to afford it.” Another student plainly stated that “$5,000 yearly is an extreme financial hardship and makes or breaks my financial stability.” An international student described how the 20-hour weekly cap on employment makes settling U-SHIP premiums a constant struggle.
Moved by the collective experiences I encountered, I launched a petition in November 2025 calling upon the University to implement U-SHIP financial hardship waivers. Considering the practical budgeting realities UChicago faces, the petition does not call for blanket subsidies or free insurance but rather asks the University to consider the individual income of the student and apply financial support accordingly. At the time of publication, the petition is approaching 600 signatures from students across numerous departments and programs.
Six months ago, the petition even caught the attention of high-level administrators in UChicago Student Wellness and the Graduate Student Affairs program. I was personally invited into their offices on several occasions to discuss the content and goals of the petition. Unfortunately, however, those conversations were dead ends. Those I spoke with were kind and attentive, but when pressed on specifics, they would resort to generalities, deflections, and financial justifications; no one would tell me the exact criteria nor decision-makers involved in U-SHIP prices. This is information I am still pursuing.
There are a number of universities that offer financial assistance for those who struggle to afford their healthcare premiums. For example, Brown University provides a health insurance–specific scholarship which covers the cost of its student plan for need-based aid recipients. Vanderbilt University offers additional need-based aid to offset the cost of its student health insurance plan. The University of California system also offers campus-specific assistance, including a Health Insurance Grant at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Medical Care Assistance Fund at a number of campuses for students facing financial barriers. These universities, among others, provide substantive examples for the University of Chicago to draw on.
A common concern administrators expressed in our conversations was the practical constraint of a “limited budget.” I sincerely acknowledged the validity of this concern and explained that the petition does not ask for a complete overhaul of the University’s budget or to magically waive away health care costs. Instead, I shared a carefully considered proposal using the Area Median Income (AMI) for a one-person household in Chicago ($85,100).
I proposed that students who earn between 50 and 60 percent of AMI would pay 60 percent of the premium—about $3,300. Students earning between 40 and 50 percent of AMI would pay half the premium—about $2,750. Students earning 30 to 40 percent of AMI would pay 40 percent—about $2,200. And students earning under 30 percent of AMI would have the premium fully covered. To ensure that the process would be fair, transparent, and straightforward, students applying for the waiver would need to provide basic documentation of their income, such as a tax return, W-2 form, bank statement, or official stipend verification.
I sincerely ask all readers to support this important cause by signing the petition and completing the optional UChicago email verification form. As the petition gains signatures across departments and programs, I am optimistic that University administrators will respond with compassionate and tangible solutions. After all, this petition aligns with UChicago’s most cherished values—a collective culture of critical inquiry, striving toward a more just and equitable world. Deferring to “market realities” around health insurance is the path of least resistance. We, as a university, can and should do better, so that students living paycheck to paycheck can focus on their education without being forced into greater debt or financial crisis.
Keith Burns is a second-year master’s student at the Crown School of Social Work.
