Universities receiving kickbacks from health plans?

Everyone is worried about kickbacks doctors may be receiving from insurance companies or medical device manufacturers, but that's apparently not where the payola ends. It seems New York is now concerned about kickbacks universities could be receiving from insurers.

New York state attorney general Andrew M. Cuomo has started investigating a number of state colleges and universities to determine whether there is anything untoward in the relationship between the schools and the insurance companies that cover their students.

The investigation seems to have been started by parents' complaints that their students were being forced to purchase insurance from the school as a condition of enrollment, even though they were already covered on the parent's insurance policy. Two years ago, Cuomo investigated similar links between colleges and student loan programs.

To learn more about the investigation:
- read this New York Times piece

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