High School Athlete Rule I didn't know....
 

Announced in our coach's meeting today at my school. A high school athlete cannot participate in Kentucky High School Athletic Association sport without having health insurance. I had no idea (it's never come up with the athlete's I have). Does anyone else find that ludicrous? I understand the premise, but I have a homeless kid in class this term. I can't imagine they have health insurance. What if they wanted to play on the soccer team?

Maybe it was because I went to a Catholic School, but the school provided insurance to cover us participating at events.

All of our coach's have catastrophic insurance to protect us from lawsuits and such, but obviously the school, the board, or state association does not provide it for the students.

they require insurance for our players here on my team in California. But medicare counts and is what a lot of them have.

We also have a team doctor who donates his time and takes care of most of it pro bono.

From what I remember as the TA to the Athletic Director in high school (which was so awesome because I didn't really have to do anything). This was something that was required in CA as well. There was an option for the parent to get a binder or something like that through the school for coverage as well, if the child wasn't insured. (just like everyone needed physicals).

Required in MO.
Parents have an opportunity to buy some insurance for like $1 a month through the school, or a program that the state provides to schoolchildren.

[Asshole]
They would get cut because their parents hadn't had the money to spend hundreds of dollars every year to AYSO select and traveling team tournaments, giving them valuable game time against the best opposing players in their region?

This is fun; let's do another one. What if they wanted to be on the Olympic equestrian team?
[/Asshole]

In all seriousness, does Kentucky not have a CHIP?

Yup.

By the way, I believe De Soto is at Pacific to open the season again. I am planning on being there (though not with the staff, I'm taking this season off).

Sweet. PM me and we can do dinner before the game if you have time. We have a good mexican restaurant in town. They make a VG margarita if that is of any interest.

I swear it's required in WI too.

FWIW - I'm not sure why this seems shocking. Seems pretty damned smart to me.

The Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) is free or low-cost health insurance for children. KCHIP is for children younger than 19 who do not have health insurance and whose family income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For example, a family of four can earn up to $44,700 a year and qualify for KCHIP.

I just think its weird to exclude someone who can't afford health insurance. Never had really thought about it. It might be smart to not let them come to school because its easier to catch a communicable disease at school, but they are allowed.

The way it works - at least in Kentucky - is that high school athletics are run by the KHSAA. which is a non-profit made up of both public and private schools. It has its own insurance at a high attachment point (for catastrophic injuries). I believe it's for legal reasons that the association requires participants to have enough insurance to at least hit the association's attachment point. I'm not sure what the exact numbers are.

It is required here in AZ well and if a student does not have it it can be purchased through the school to specifically cover that sport.