The University's insurance provider, The Chickering Group, has proposed a 21 percent increase in student health insurance premiums for next year, and benefits are not expected to change significantly, according to members of the Student Health Insurance Committee.
Many members of the Committee questioned the need for such a large cost increase at a meeting with Chickering last week, Committee Director Susan Davis said. Chickering originally had proposed a 24 percent increase but lowered it to 21 percent by the end of the meeting.
"It was a very aggressive meeting," Davis said. "Through a lot of difficult questioning by the Committee members, [Chickering] agreed to go back and recalculate."
Committee members estimate the actual increase will be closer to 15 percent.
"For most plans, the typical rate of inflation is 12 to 15 percent," Davis said. "We will not accept a 21 percent increase. That's way too high."
Graduate students are particularly concerned about the extent of this year's proposed increase, Graduate Committee Rep. Monica Williams said.
"The typical stipend for a graduate student in my department is $4,000," Williams said. "To insure your whole family, it costs [more than] $7,000."
The increases may cause prospective graduate students to attend schools that offer free medical insurance for students and their spouses, Williams said.
Benefits will not be reduced in order to compensate for rising costs, as the Committee places a high emphasis on maintaining a comprehensive plan, Davis said.
Both Davis and Williams attributed the rising insurance costs to inflation and low participation rates in the program.
Williams described the insurance program as a "catch-22," as many students who purchase insurance do so because they anticipate the need for expensive medical treatment. These conditions drive up the price of insurance for all policy holders in the program.
The Committee plans to focus on increasing the number of international graduate students who purchase insurance through the University in order to keep rates from increasing dramatically, Davis said.
Students who are enrolled in at least one credit hour and pay a student activity fee are eligible to purchase insurance from Chickering through the University. The University provides a health insurance subsidy plan for many graduate students, though not all students are eligible to receive the subsidy, Davis said.
The Chickering Group was chosen as the University's health insurance provider in 2001. Williams said the University will continue to work with Chickering for the upcoming school year. The University's health insurance plan will be open for competitive bids the following year.
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