CARBONDALE, IL — Southern Illinois University’s decision to remove dependent coverage from its student health insurance plan has left some graduate assistants and student families scrambling to find new coverage this semester. For Adam Turl and Tish Turl, both SIU alumni who recently completed graduate degrees at the university, the change came as an unwelcome surprise when Adam tried to enroll for fall coverage.
Until this year, the university’s plan included spouses and children. That option is now gone, and students who need family coverage must seek it elsewhere. For the Turls, the shift arrived just as they were finishing advanced degrees and trying to keep their household coverage in place.
The Turls say they expected the same benefit they had used before
Adam Turl said they had relied on SIU’s student insurance for years and assumed the family would be able to stay on the plan. When they went to register for coverage in August, they were told dependent coverage was no longer available.
The couple had both used the university plan while earning degrees at SIU. Tish Turl received a master’s degree in spring 2026, while Adam Turl completed a doctorate during the 2026 spring and summer terms. They said the change caught them off guard because they had not been told to expect a different arrangement for spouses or children.
Adam Turl said they were trying to register for themselves and Tish when they learned of the policy shift. For the family, the news meant a new and immediate search for insurance rather than a simple renewal.
SIU says the plan now covers only the student
Before the change, SIU’s student health insurance could cover dependents such as spouses and children. Under the revised plan, that coverage has been eliminated. Students enrolled in the campus plan must now secure separate insurance for family members through another option.
Don Howard, senior associate director of SIU Student Health Services, said the university reviewed plan options, costs, utilization data and likely effects on students before deciding to end dependent coverage. He said administrators also consulted with relevant campus constituencies, including the Graduate Assistant Union, before moving ahead.
Howard said the university chose the change after weighing alternatives and their financial impact. He said SIU Student Health Services remains committed to helping students understand available coverage choices and connect with appropriate resources.
Graduate assistants say the change hits families already stretched thin
Howard said the policy especially affects graduate assistants, older students and others employed by the university in teaching, grading, research and related roles. Many of those students already live on tight budgets, and some had planned around the older family coverage structure.
Adam Turl said the loss of dependent coverage makes the university’s health benefits feel less practical for people with spouses or children. The couple said they believed the change was especially difficult because graduate students often build lives, households and long-term plans while still in school.
Other student families have similar concerns. Married students and students with children said they had expected campus insurance to remain available in the same form, especially as they tried to finish degrees and maintain stable household finances.
Some students say they are now priced out of family coverage
Tish Turl said the family had little money left after paying SIU-related costs and daily living expenses. When they tried to keep insurance through the university, they found the price of covering everyone had become too high.
She said the family eventually turned to donations and other short-term help after struggling with the cost. Once the dependent option disappeared, she said the reality of finding alternative coverage set in quickly and added more stress during an already difficult period.
For the Turls, the issue was not only the amount of the premium but also the timing. They said they were trying to finish school, secure work and keep everyone insured at the same time.
The waiver system changed, but not for every student
Howard said SIU updated its waiver process for the 2026-27 waiver cycle. Beginning Aug. 15, the Student Health Insurance Plan no longer included dependent coverage, and students already enrolled with dependents were expected to arrange other insurance.
Students with comparable coverage from other plans may waive the university plan, but the change is still significant because the university’s student insurance now applies only to the student. Howard said the university believes this aligns the plan with changing costs and broader insurance conditions.
Some students may still qualify for other public or private coverage options, but the university plan itself no longer fills the role it once did for families. SIU says its staff will continue helping students review available alternatives and determine whether they qualify for other kinds of coverage.
International students and families face extra limits on alternatives
The change is especially hard for international students, who may have fewer insurance choices in the United States. Brackett Insurance Consultants, which works with SIU on marketplace coverage guidance, said most international students will not qualify for subsidized Affordable Care Act marketplace plans beginning Jan. 1.
The company said marketplace rules are now more closely aligned with Medicaid rules, leaving international students below the poverty threshold without access to subsidized options. That means the SIU plan and federal or state alternatives may no longer line up the way they once did.
Howard said SIU Student Health Services still wants students to understand what coverage is available and how to find help. For families like the Turls, however, the change has already turned a familiar university benefit into one more expense to solve on their own.