The NCAA will soon offer college athletes two years of post-eligibility injury insurance coverage. The program will begin on Aug. 1, 2024, and be available to athletes across all three divisions, the NCAA’s Board of Governors said Wednesday. More:
The NCAA will soon offer college athletes two years of post-eligibility injury insurance coverage.
The post-eligibility insurance program will begin on Aug. 1, 2024, and be available to athletes across all three divisions, the NCAA’s Board of Governors said in a release on Wednesday. The coverage will last for two years after athletes complete their college athletics experience and will cover injuries that occur while playing for their school.“Student-athletes deserve the coverage offered in this plan, no matter their division,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement.
The NCAA said that the policy’s annual premium is projected to be $26 million. It will have a $90,000 excess limit per injury, with no deductible, per the release. There will also be limited coverage for mental health care related to the documented injury. The policy is secondary to other insurance policies.
The news comes on the heels of the introduction of multiple college sports bills in Congress, most of which include post-eligibility healthcare coverage as part of their proposal. It has become clear that increased medical care is a policy area that enjoys bipartisan support. Although most of the proposed bills include longer-term healthcare coverage, the NCAA program would be significant on its own.That the NCAA can address some of its own problems without help from the federal government.