Adding medical bills on top of student loans is not something many students want to think about, but neither is paying a hefty monthly premium for health insurance. For college students, the Affordable Health Care Act, most commonly known as Obamacare, causes a good amount of debate.

Starting Jan. 1, 2014, virtually all people in the United States will be required to have health insurance or else pay a tax penalty, said Lacey Kennett, a spokeswoman in the government and public affairs division of the Kansas Insurance Department.

Dependents can stay on a parent or guardian’s insurance plan until the age of 26. Otherwise, they must buy an insurance policy. The tax penalty for not having health insurance is either $95, or 1 percent of the individual’s annual income, depending on which is greater.

Sheryl McKelvey, office manager for the student health clinic, thinks buying into the insurance program could benefit students. She has seen uninsured students who suffered from unexpected medical emergencies.

“They [uninsured students] struggle with paying the bills, they struggle with trying to keep up with their studies, and they struggle with handling the issues that result from the medical incident,” McKelvey said.

However, Kylea Boren, a dental hygiene student, believes forcing people to buy a policy is a violation of basic freedom.

“I think it takes away our basic right as a human to decide what we want and what we don’t want,” Boren said.

Boren would like to see more incentives for people who try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She said it doesn’t make sense that somebody who doesn’t smoke, maintains a healthy diet and takes preventative care measures pays the same premiums and receives the same benefits as somebody who smokes, is overweight or leads an unhealthy lifestyle.

McKelvey acknowledged that sentiment, but her reply comes from a different perspective.

“It’s not like you’re going to [go to the website and] just have one option, one insurance plan you can buy,” she said. “There are options out there for you to weigh the pros and cons of which plan would be better for you.”

Nobody ever thinks they need insurance — until disaster strikes. To view the plans and options, visit insureKS.org for a listing of how the Affordable Care Act affects Kansas and what action needs to be taken.