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5/28/2026
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Senate OKs Vargas bill to prevent colleges from automatically enrolling students in health insurance
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Legislation aimed at preventing unintended, costly dual coverage and administrative hassles
STATE HOUSE – The Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Lammis J. Vargas to prohibit colleges and universities from automatically enrolling students in their health insurance plans.
The bill is a consumer-protection measure designed to prevent situations in which students are unknowingly enrolled and billed for the college health plan when they already have health insurance.
The bill (2026-S 3011), which applies to both public and private institutions, would stipulate that all colleges and universities must require students to affirmatively either accept or reject student health plan coverage before their application for admission or registration is accepted as complete.
“While health care is absolutely important and student plans provide a valuable service for those who need them, many students already have coverage, particularly since the Affordable Care Act allows young people to say on their parents’ plans until they’re 26,” said Senator Vargas (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence). “Automatic enrollment, which requires students to notice that they’re being enrolled and take action to opt out, can lead to needless expense and hassles for students and parents. In some cases, students or their families may be paying for duplicative coverage and not even realize it. This is important enough that it should be its own step in the process, where the student is asked to either accept or decline the coverage, so they are aware of what will be on their bill.”
Some students do not notice they’ve been enrolled in the college health plan until they are billed, and at that point, refusing to pay the charge for insurance can lead to problems with registering for classes. In some cases, students are told they have to pay the charge — which can be well over $3,000 — and file for a refund that may not come for months.
The legislation does not prohibit colleges and universities from requiring that all students have health care coverage, nor does it change their ability to require proof of that coverage from those who decline the student health plan.
The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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