Both bodies that represent Ohio University students have informally voted for UnitedHealthcare StudentResources to provide the student health insurance for the 2014-15 academic year.
Anna Wenning, OU’s student insurance administrator, visited Graduate Student Senate and Student Senate during their meetings on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, to present both policies and get feedback from the body members on the plans.
Both senates voiced their support by informally voting for OU’s current student health insurance provider, UnitedHealthcare. No one on either body voted for an option from the other company, Gallagher Student Health and Special Risk, a third party administrator for Aetna.
The option from UnitedHealthcare is more affordable than other plans on the market, said Joel Newby, president of Graduate Student Senate.
“It’s actually one of the best deals that somebody our age can get,” said Newby, who uses the university-provided insurance. “Going through a private insurance agency without having a full-time job is actually pretty expensive, so by being able to be pooled into the entire university it’s able to bring down this cost, which is a tremendous benefit to somebody in our position.”
The Division of Student Affairs is in the process of selecting a company to provide the student health insurance. OU was legally obligated to put out a bid to different health insurances companies, said Ryan Lombardi, Vice President for Student Affairs.
OU has been with UnitedHealthcare since 2008, Wenning said.
Each company presented OU with two plan options.
Both options from UnitedHealthcare are compliant with the Affordable Care Act.
The options from Gallagher are not compliant with the new law because some parts of the act have not gone into effect yet.
The deductible for each company would be $150 for the student-only plans and $300 for all other plans, Wenning said.
The current plan from UnitedHealthcare has an annual maximum benefit of $2.5 million that it will pay out toward the costs of bills for policyholder. The maximum will not exist under the new plan. Both UnitedHealthcare and Gallagher will offer unlimited coverage, Wenning said.
Students would have to pay $15 to be treated at Campus Care under either company, Wenning said.
“The plans are almost identical,” Wenning said.
That “almost,” though, could be key for some students. The UnitedHealthcare policy would include coverage for acne, birth control, club sports injuries and congenital conditions. The policy also includes a transgender benefits policy that is flexible and negotiable, Wenning said during the presentation at Wednesday’s Student Senate meeting.
The offer from Gallagher/Aetna would not include coverage for acne, club sport injuries or congenital conditions, and students would only be able get generic brands of birth control. A transgender benefits policy is included but has predetermined conditions.
Both options also include rates for students at OU’s regional campuses, which previously had separate plans, Wenning said.
Mary Kate Gallagher, vice president of Student Senate and a fifth-year senior studying community health and family development, said option one from UnitedHealthcare stood out because it makes insurance more affordable for students on OU’s regional campuses.
“I think that the regional campuses (aren’t) something we often reach out to,” Gallagher said. “If you think about it, there are more people on the regional campuses and online campuses than there are in just our traditional Athens community.”
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