Washington University students and their families recently received a new mailing amid the many letters sent home by the University: an Aetna health insurance card.

The University’s new student health insurance plan is the result of a bidding process that occurred last spring. Every other year, the student health insurance plan goes up for bid in a confidential meeting. For the last two years, Great-West Health Care was the health insurance provider for University students.

This year, Aetna was selected for its ability to provide the best plan at the lowest cost. The bid and its acceptance were overseen by a committee of deans from each school and students who had requested changes in the past.

Debra Harp, director of administration at the Habif Health and Wellness Center, said she feels it is in students’ best interest that the University puts its health insurance up for bid every two years.

“Putting the student health plan out to bid every other year is a very prudent thing to do in order to make sure that the rates reflect the usage of the plan and to make sure we are offering the best possible benefits,” Harp wrote in an e-mail.
Regarding this year’s change, Harp emphasized the variety of options that will accompany the change, as well as the plan’s reduction in cost.

“During the bid process two years ago, WU was able to add an optional prescription plan at a low cost, as well as a low cost dental plan. During this year’s bid process we were able to reduce the student health fee and made sure the plan remained unchanged for that reduction in cost,” Harp wrote.

Some new options in the Aetna plan are discounted services for students, such as lowered prices for weight-loss counseling, smoking cessation therapy, and vitamin and mineral supplements. As for the lowered cost, student health insurance fees have declined from $686 to $550 under the plan.

Still, some students are unhappy with the plan. Graduate student Mark Smith, who was invited to sit in on the bid committee meeting, says he is disappointed with the University’s decision to switch to Aetna.

“The school should have been looking for a plan that accurately reflects the needs of undergrads and for grads and one that is more reflective of the adults and the adult community,” Smith said.

Student health insurance, then and now

The University’s health insurance plan was created in 2000 and enacted in 2001. It has served University students since then, with minor changes.

The student health insurance serves as each student’s primary coverage, and the fee covers nine free counseling visits, nutritional consults, about 20 free lab tests, and other low-cost health services.

This year, with high unemployment nationwide, some students may have less access to their parents’ health care, even if they participate in the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), which was designed to allow working families to keep their health insurance in case of unemployment. According to Harp, the new Aetna plan tries to adjust to these new needs.

“Many students and their families are finding this is their only healthcare coverage during times of unemployment,” Harp wrote. “In addition, many employers are cutting their contributions toward healthcare premiums or increasing deductibles to very high amounts, which places a financial burden on the family. This plan helps alleviate some of those financial burdens.”

The new healthcare plan will also work with the University’s financial aid services.

“The University wants to make sure that it knows about any financial difficulties that students’ families are having so that we can help,” said Bill Witbrodt, director of Student Financial Services. “We want all of our students to remain here pursuing their education at Wash. U.”

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1 Comments

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  On August 31, 2009 at 6:59 am Amy Golding said

  Great article, but why are students required to buy a policy from the school. The follow up article should be an answer to this question, what about the coverage from my families policy?

  Students are so diverse, it seems to me that alternatives such as http://www.affordablestudentinsurance.com should also be included as an option. It may not cover substance aabuse or mental health, but has variable deductibles and coverage up to two million dollars.

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Tags: Aetna, Alan Glass, bill witbrodt, debra harp, health insurance

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