UT Austin graduate students upset over health insurance change
By Terrian Spurs
AUSTIN, Texas - The University of Texas at Austin announced health insurance changes for graduate student academic employees starting on September 1, 2021. Graduate students will go from being covered by UT Select to AcademicBlue.
This switch comes after the Graduate School did research, seeing that one of the biggest issues graduate students face is continuous, affordable healthcare.
During the summer months, graduate students not employed by the university lose insurance coverage and benefits. The university also shares that this switch will save the university money.
Following the email, the Graduate School announced they would be holding two information sessions to explain the details of the AcademicBlue health plan and answer questions from students. Many students were highly concerned, as the AcademicBlue plan seemed to incur more costs for them compared to the UT Select plan.