Post-Eligibility Medical Coverage Expires After 2 Years, Ignoring CTE

The NCAA's Post-Eligibility Insurance Program, launched in August 2024, covers athletically-related injuries for only two years (104 weeks) after an athlete separates from their school, with a $90,000 excess limit per injury and up to $25,000 for mental health services. After those two years, former college athletes are entirely on their own for medical expenses related to injuries sustained during their collegiate career. There is no obligation for institutions to purchase additional insurance to cover this gap. This two-year window is medically incoherent for the most dangerous injuries in college sports. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and other neurodegenerative conditions caused by repetitive head impacts typically take years or decades to manifest symptoms. Research shows that contact sport athletes are 13 times more likely to develop CTE than non-athletes, and as few as 2,000 repetitive head impacts across a career may be enough to raise long-term neurological risk. A concussion that costs $500 to treat acutely can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in neurological care 15 years later — long after the insurance has expired. The structural reason this gap persists is that the NCAA has historically classified athletes as 'student-athletes' specifically to avoid employer-like liability for workplace injuries. The post-eligibility program was created in response to mounting legal pressure, but it was designed to be the minimum viable response rather than comprehensive coverage. Universities generate billions from athlete labor but treat long-term health consequences as externalities. CTE cannot even be diagnosed in living patients — it requires post-mortem brain examination — which makes it easy for institutions to deny the connection between college play and later-life neurological decline.