The College Fix

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Despite blistering wind and relentless snow, about 150 University of Notre Dame students agreed to “opt out” of the Affordable Care Act on Saturday at a tailgate party that rarely made it above freezing temperatures.

But college students appeared fired up nonetheless to agree to stay clear of Obamacare at the pregame bash, hosted by the nonpartisan advocacy group Generation Opportunity, which provided free pizza, festive music, its notoriously creepy Uncle Sam guy, and leaflets that outlined some of the negative effects of the new federal healthcare mandate.

“I think it was a lie when the federal government said you could keep your insurance,” Notre Dame sophomore Hailey Vrdolyak said in an interview with The College Fix after she made the pledge to opt out. “It really takes away the choice to decide whether or not to buy insurance, and personal liberty is an important aspect of being an American.”

Generation Opportunity’s visit to Notre Dame marked the fifth time this semester the group has hosted a college football tailgate party across the nation to educate students about health insurance options. More than 14,000 people have signed the group’s pledge to opt out of Obamacare since the beginning of its campaign, a figure that includes both those who have signed the pledge at campus events as well as those who have done so through OptOut.org, according to a spokesman for the group.

Despite the pending close of the football season, Generation Opportunity has plans to continue hosting events at other campuses during different occasions. The group’s goal is to put on about 20 events and continue to reach out to college-aged Americans, said spokesman David Pasch.

“We’re thrilled to see that despite the frigid temperatures, Notre Dame students are excited about opting out of Obamacare,” Pasch said.

Generation Opportunity brought its tailgate to Notre Dame because students saw news coverage of a similar event at University of Miami and reached out to the nonprofit.

Pasch emphasized the message is one of options.

“We are not anti-insurance, but we want students to know there are better, cheaper, and less creepy ways of obtaining insurance,” he said.

For example, Pasch said he tells students Obamacare uses a federal data hub to collect personal information which is then given to several government agencies with no provision for its security.

Take a recent story in the Minnesota Star Tribune, which reported that an Obamacare employee in Minnesota accidentally leaked 2,400 social security numbers.

Pasch also points out that opting out of Obamacare would be a much better financial deal for the vast majority of young people.

In Indiana, for example, the cheapest plan currently available outside the exchanges costs $84 per month while the Obamacare exchanges provide the cheapest “bronze” level plan at $204 per month, he said.

“Those in favor of Obamacare go to college campuses and equate Obamacare with healthcare,” Pasch said.  “Generation Opportunity wants to give college students a better and more complete picture of their healthcare options.”

Fix contributor Alexandra DeSanctis is a student at the University of Notre Dame.

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