A New Hampshire Insurance Department employee told AnnMarie Morse if she didn’t like the restrictions insurance companies had on college students, she would have to change the law.And Morse did just that. What started as letters written by Morse to state representatives and senators in December 2003 has transformed into a federal law signed and approved by President Bush last Thursday. Titled Michelle’s Law (HR.2851), the new piece of legislation protects some full-time college students from losing their health insurance in the event of a serious illness. “Most insurance companies require that a dependent over the age of 19 be a full-time college student to remain on his or her parents’ health insurance,” Morse said. “When they no longer fit the criteria of a full-time student, they can no longer be covered under the plan as a dependent.”Under Michelle’s Law, some seriously ill students can take up to 12 months off school without being dropped. “We all know that health care is broken and needs to be fixed,” Morse said. “This is just a small step in the right direction.”The law is named after Morse’s daughter Michelle who died of colon cancer in 2005. She was 22 years old. A student at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, Michelle was studying childhood studies in hopes to become a teacher like her mom. Because of her family’s insurance company’s restrictions, she had to remain a full-time student after she was diagnosed in 2003. Morse, a high school business and technology teacher at Pembroke Academy in New Hampshire, said Michelle underwent chemotherapy once every other week for 48 hours, even having to wear a chemo pump while in class. “Her immune system was very weak,” Morse said. “She had to be careful not to get sick. What could be a cold for someone might have been pneumonia for her.”After Morse wrote letters to state representatives, senators and presidential candidates and gained support for the law, Gov. John Lynch passed Michelle’s Law in New Hampshire on June 22, 2006. From there, Morse traveled to Washington D.C. to seek support for the law on a federal level.Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire presented Michelle’s Law as a bill to the Senate on January 27, 2007. Morse said Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York supported the bill as well.Michelle’s Law passed in the House of Representatives on July 30 by a voice vote and in the Senate on Sept. 25 by unanimous consent. Bush signed Michelle’s Law into law last Thursday, and it will be effective Oct. 9, 2009. “We definitely see it as a positive piece of legislation,” said Andrew Muhl, Louisiana government relations director for the American Cancer Society. “We applaud both the president and Congress for supporting this law. We feel that ensuring health care for all Americans, including college students, is necessary in eradicating health care problems.”Muhl said Michelle’s Law will benefit an estimated 2,400 college students suffering from serious illnesses like cancer every year. Julie Hupperich, associate director of the Student Health Center, said Michelle’s Law will not directly affect the way the Student Health Center operates because most procedures students have done are free or for a nominal fee. But she said she will let students know about the law because it provides another option for student health care. Michelle’s Law only applies to full-time students who are dependents on a health plan and requires a student have written documentation from a medical professional explaining the need for temporary medical leave or a change to a part-time schedule. The new law does not require insurance companies to cover new procedures or individuals, it only prevents them from dropping coverage.”It was my love for Michelle and her wish to see the law passed throughout the country that kept me going,” Morse said. “I did not want to see any other family have to walk in our shoes.” —-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]