While the State Board of Higher Education unanimously approved a mandatory health insurance plan Friday for all Oregon University System students, the effect on the University campus will not be felt until September 2001 at the earliest.
The University recently signed a five-year contract with Aetna, Inc., and cannot immediately participate in the OUS plan, said Bob Petit, a medical administrator at the University Health Center. The contract with the Chickering Group, a third-party provider of health insurance through Aetna, Inc., is re-evaluated each year and can be canceled if deemed necessary, Petit said.
Many specifics of the OUS plan will have to be worked through before it can be implemented at the seven institutions, said Elizabeth Dickenson, the risk manager for the OUS special task force in charge of initiating the plan.
Dickenson said the University’s current contract does not hamper the team’s goal of providing basic medical coverage for the 60,000 OUS students. Long-term contracts are typical with insurance companies and can be voided if it’s in the best interest of the state, she said. A similar contract situation must also be worked through at Oregon State University before the plan can be installed.
The contract “is not at all an obstacle with the process,” Dickenson said. “I am comfortable with that.”
The cost of the OUS plan is estimated at $14 to $17 per term. In comparison, the basic medical insurance through the Health Center costs $227 per term.
While the mandatory plan will enable non-traditional students more reasonable access to medical care, some students are not in favor of paying for care that they already have.
“Health care is a question of individual preference, not social responsibility,” said Colin Cavasher, a senior comparative literature major who is insured. “It shouldn’t be required.”
Junior biochemistry major Hannah Grubb, who is insured through her parents, said that it is important for everyone to have insurance at an affordable cost.
“Forty-five dollars a year isn’t going to break the bank when you pay $4,500 for tuition,” she said.
With the board’s consent, the task force can now proceed to figure out the specifics of implementing the plan, which will include student input.
In past state board sub-committee meetings, board member David Koch expressed some concerns about developing the plan without student views. Since he has not heard any concern from student governments, Koch is supporting the plan.
“I support it as a way of insuring that students have coverage they need and not diminishing their ability to attend the University,” said Koch, an environmental studies graduate student.
A temporary method of the mandatory coverage plan will begin this fall at Oregon Institute of Technology, Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon and Western Oregon universities.