Editor:

I'm writing in response to the article "UA forcing insurance costs on foreign students" on March 5. I also consider mandatory health insurance only for foreign students 'unfair.' I felt exactly the same way as Ms. Maria Karlsson felt, but in my case, loss was twice as much as a single student. Mr. Murray DeArmond, director of Student Health and Wellness, explains that this policy comes from federal regulations, but it is obviously an excuse.

Before I started my study at the University of Arizona, I consulted about my family's health insurance to the insurance agent in my home country, because I was worrying about high insurance cost in America. My agent gave me the list of the universities which permit to bring my own insurance with me. The list includes most of the famous universities, which are popular among the foreign students, such as UCLA, University of California, University of Texas, University of Washington and Stanford. I couldn't find my future school, the UA, at that time. However, quite naturally, I assumed that the UA was merely unlisted. I believed that one of the top research universities in the U.S. would never treat foreign students badly. I was wrong.

After all, I had to pay $2,400 for Partners Health Plan, which is required for all nonsponsored international students, instead of having a $1,200 cheaper health plan, which was offered by my agent, which was without $10 copayment and with medication coverage. Mr. DeArmond said in the article: "the bottom line is to make sure that all international students are covered." If he truly thinks that the most important point is making sure that all international students are covered by some health insurance, and if he truly thinks of international students' benefit, he should take a certificate of insurance which proves the holder's coverage, and should let the international students have their own choices. I don't know why the UA doesn't take the certificate of insurance from unsponsored international students. I don't know why UCLA can do it, but the UA can't. Why can Stanford do it, but we can't?

We, the international students, don't want to get into any trouble, because of the lack of the health insurance which is a quite basic need for everybody. I dare to say: "Mr. DeArmond, I think you can trust the international students a little bit more, and all you have to do is just require us to take in a certificate of insurance to you, instead of forcing us expensive health plan."

Eiji Okuyama

accounting senior

Eiji Okuyama
accounting senior