ASU’s college football players need better health care because of the inherent dangers of playing sports, including long-term health risks.
Over 250,000 NCAA injuries were estimated between 2014 and 2019. Long-term health is also a factor. A growing field of research has proven that college football players “suffer from brain-related problems as they age.”
As the world saw on January 2nd, Buffalo Bills safety Dumar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field. Unfortunately, it was a terrifying moment that fits into the larger context of the extreme dangers that come with playing football.
Given these inherent risks, ASU and college football players across the United States need quality medical care and health insurance in the short and long term.
NCAA rules require athletes to have basic health and accident plans. Most Division I universities offer this basic care, but it is not required. Depending on insurance coverage, players may be subject to significant out-of-pocket costs.
There are two health and accident plans offered by the NCAA. Catastrophic Accident Insurance Program and Exceptional Student-Athlete Disability Insurance Program.
The Catastrophic Accident Insurance Program operates with a $90,000 deductible. A key limitation of the program, however, is that it can only be used if the athlete reports an injury within his two years.
Athletes who later learn of an injury are exempt from this policy. This is especially true for the long-term effects of concussion, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy and Alzheimer’s disease.
The Exceptional Student-Athlete Disability Program provides insurance coverage for high-profile athletes in the event of a career-ending injury. However, like any program, there are limitations. Players must prove their high professional draft stock in a fairly obscure process, and they’ll also have to pay a hefty premium if the program is enacted.
Disability coverage applies when an athlete is injured while playing a sport. But if you were able to work full-time after your injury, your insurance benefits could be zero. It also covers full disability benefits. Partial disability benefits may be further reduced as it is assumed that athletes are still able to work to some extent.
Insurance programs offered to college football players are inadequate. This is especially true given the nature of long-term injuries inherent in sports, especially head injuries. ASU must do its best to ensure that all Sun Devil athletes are provided with long-term compensation, if necessary, even outside of the time the athlete is playing for the team.
Aaron Hernandez, director of sports law and business programs at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, said:
Outside of ASU and NCAA, the Pac-12 conference helps provide compensation for athletes who need it after their college athletic career ends.
“Specifically, for ASU athletes … four years after separation, Pac-12 athletes are still covered for athletics-related injuries and medical expenses,” Hernandez said. increase.
However, like other programs, long-term injuries beyond these four years are not covered, and it can be difficult to prove that an injury occurred when participating in athletics.
It’s true that the benefits listed are better than what most people in the United States receive. According to a 2021 survey conducted by The Commonwealth Fund, the United States ranked last in a survey of 11 high-income countries on their national health systems. difference? All other countries had some form of universal health care.
This phenomenon cannot be separated from the insurance that college football players receive in the United States. In fact, it is closely related. Athletes have to deal with the complex and inadequate healthcare system of higher education. This is because it is part of a broader flawed US system.
As with all other workers in the United States, a large portion of college football player health care is employment-related. However, they are not legally classified as employees (yet).
An unfair system that puts money before human life, and in the case of a dangerous sport like college football, the need for life-affirming medical care could not be more prevalent.
ASU needs to provide better care for athletes who generate millions of dollars in income. Athletes and the general public also need to demand a health care system that allows people to live free and healthy, rather than trapped and overwhelmed.
Edited by Piper Hansen, Jasmine Kabiri and Kaela Liamons.
Contact and follow our columnists at astigile@asu.edu @StigileAaron on Twitter.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not imply endorsement by the State Press or its editors.
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Aaron Stigillopinion columnist
Aaron Stigile is an opinion columnist for The State Press. Previously he contributed to The Defiant Movement and is working towards a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication. He is also working towards a certificate in Spanish minors and interdisciplinary leadership.
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