Faculty to see changes in health insurance
Described as a “good interim step,” Utah State University President Stan Albrecht said he intended to approve changes to the university’s health insurance plan that was presented to Faculty Senate members Monday afternoon.
“This doesn’t get us where we want to be in the long run,” he said. A committee will be formed over the next two to three weeks, he said, in order to fix critical problems with the plan. However, he did say the changes were an improvement and an important step.
Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the College of Business and chair of the Health Benefits Committee explained some of the changes, saying insurance premiums will increase 11.8 percent.
“I wish health benefits weren’t political,” she said. “This can be emotionally draining because we realize we’re dealing with people’s lives and people’s health.”
The Health Benefits Committee voted to continue denying coverage for gastric bypass surgery, Beck-Dudley said, because the premium increase would be too high to justify the change.
However, the dollar limit for preventative health care measures, such as Pap smears and mammograms, was reevaluated. Previously the limit was $500, barely enough to cover just one of those types of tests. There is now no limit for preventative tests that are recommended by health professionals.
“This is a tiny step to wellness rather than medical treatment,” she said.
A fourth tier was also added to the premium rates, providing university employees making less than $22,000 per year their own premium price.
Prescription drugs were the most problematic area for the committee, she said.
“We [USU] are serious over-users of brand-name drugs,” she said. Faculty are encouraged to use generic versions of prescriptions whenever possible. Health plans will cover 30-35 percent of the cost of name-brand drugs and the maximum out of pocket will remain at $1,200.
A few comments were made during the meeting in relation to extending benefits to domestic partners.
At a forum for faculty held last Monday, USU legal counsel Craig Simper informed faculty that as Utah’s Amendment 3 currently stands, it prohibits the use of state funds for extending benefits.
Richard Sherlock, a faculty senate member, said there needed to be a more open debate at last week’s meeting, and that the information concerning domestic partners was very one-sided.
Senate member Elizabeth York also asked about continuing discussion of the matter.
“How will reconcile this with our non-discrimination policy?” she said.
Janis Boettinger, president of the group, said discussion will continue. Suggestions from faculty as to how that debate should proceed can be sent to kdoyle@hass.usu.edu.
-bnelson@cc.usu.edu