President Barack Obama’s health care reform came into full effect Sept. 23, and in the complexity of the issue, students are impacted by the recent legislation.

“This is actually some good stuff,” said Michelle Hendricks, director of the Thielen Student Health Center, as she explained the advantages of the new health care plan.

Hendricks recently attended a conference focused solely on Obama’s health care reform. One of the new additions to the bill includes allowing students to stay on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26. Even though the number of insured ISU students is higher than the national average, being allowed to remain on parents’ health care plans will still aid students greatly, Hendricks said.

“If a student were to suddenly fall ill, instead of worrying about payments and, consequently, needing to miss a semester of class because of high medical bills, Obama’s required insurance will help pay for the expenses,” Hendricks said.

Because most of ISU students are insured, Hendricks doesn’t anticipate any major changes having to take place at Thielen.

Some colleges currently require a hard wavier, meaning that incoming students have to provide proof of insurance before being accepted. With the reform this prerequisite may be implemented across the nation.

“While Iowa State does not enforce the hard wavier, it is something that will ultimately benefit all students,” Hendricks said.

Mandating that everyone attending the university is insured means faster and better care for students. Adequate coverage enables proper diagnosis, because with limited resources or money comes limited help, Hendricks said.

The reform is not just about saving money; there are new regulations for health care providers as well.

“The intent is for excellent health care for all consumers, the regulations will drive efficiencies within medical centers by making everything standard,” Hendricks said.

Standardizing medical processes means less confusion from one care provider to another, making the health system more efficient.

While students may feel detached from such issues, the fact is it ultimately affects them and the more knowledge they have the better off they will be.