Though many opinions have been circulating about the Affordable Care Act, a seemingly-positive one stems from the introduction of health insurance “navigators.” These trained health professionals have a goal to help people without insurance get covered with a plan that suits them. Navigators seek to ease some of that stress of searching for the perfect insurance plan.

During the last half of the fall semester, Grand Valley State University gave students opportunities to talk with one of these individuals from Cherry Health in Grand Rapids. The purpose of bringing a health insurance navigator to campus was to not inform students only about health care options in general, but also about GVSU’s own health insurance policy made especially for students. It turns out, health insurance navigators visiting campus are only half of GVSU’s plan to provide students with affordable options.

“We wanted to find the best way to get this out there to students,” said Brandon Fitzgerald, student senate’s vice president of the diversity affairs committee and nursing major. “During that we actually found a way to make it so that students can sign up for their own policies through an external identity.”

This identity can be compared to any campus library database. It would be a healthcare database holding a comprehensive list of health insurance policies. Students would be able to filter through the list and narrow down options until they find one that meets their specific needs. In the meantime, health insurance navigators will be visiting campus to work with students, although they are still included in the final plan.

For years, GVSU has been building a repertoire in health care services for all students. However, efforts to aid in the difficult search for affordable plans began with the growing need of health insurance for students who identify as transgender.

“The interesting thing is all of this stemmed from a project to help with getting transgender students on campus health insurance,” Fitzgerald said. “Either because they were not allowed on their parents’ insurance anymore or they were excluded by law.”

These exclusions, which catch students off-guard and are often based on the policies of insurance companies, made the situation urgent. Fitzgerald said people know if they need hormone treatment for a thyroid condition, for example, they will be fully covered by their insurance company. However, those who are transgender and in the process of transitioning could be denied access or over-charged for similar hormone therapy because of their identities. This, in addition to the vagueness of insurance companies and their policies general, made it clear that something had to change.

“That’s not equity. That’s not equal access. That’s turning a profit on someone with an equally medically important situation,” Fitzgerald said.

There are many more options for transgender students now as well. By quickening the process of getting transgender students coverage for vital therapy treatments, GVSU was also able to improve options for all students facing different financial situations. GVSU’s own insurance policy is available to any student seeking to take charge of their own insurance. Plans to make the search outside of GVSU’s policy easier are in the making.

In the meantime, the introduction of health care navigators on campus have helped students of all backgrounds and financial situations create a better path toward obtaining the right insurance plans. For Fitzgerald and the rest of the diversity affairs committee, success is sweet.

“A lot of people on the committee are now working with the students this was originally intended for, and now they’re getting the coverage they need,” he said. “All of that is very, very rewarding.”