The Graduate and Professional Student Council heard a presentation on one of its biggest issues—health insurance for graduate students—at its second meeting of the year Tuesday.
Student Health Insurance Manager Anna Salinas spoke to the council on changes in the health insurance plan implemented for graduate students this year.
There will be increases in premium rates, which could be as high as $5,640 per year depending on the graduate student’s age, Salinas said.
“The rate is determined by claim submission history in the 2009-2010 [academic] year,” she added.
Out-of-pocket expenses within the insurance network will be limited to $2,050 for the individual policy and $4,500 for the family policy, Salinas said, adding that this amount includes the $25 copay. Outside the network, the individual policy deductible will be $300 with a limit of $3,000 on out-of-pocket expenses, and the family policy deductible will be $900 with a limit of $9,000 on out-of-pocket expenses, according to Salinas’s presentation.
For prescription medication benefits, a new tier system will determine a student’s copay. Salinas added, however, that some prescription drugs have quantity and supply limits and that students should access the Duke Student Medical Insurance Plan website for a list of approved medications and those with quantity and supply limits.
For maternity testing lab screenings, medical providers must submit medical records at the time claims are submitted to UnitedHealthcare StudentResources, or the entire claim will be denied and the patient will pay the entire bill. The insurance policy will cover up to three ultrasounds. For additional ultrasounds, however, the medical provider must submit a letter of medical necessity and the patient’s medical records for insurance coverage.
Salinas ended her presentation by providing information for receiving the current benefit booklet and prescription medication lists, emphasizing the need to know your benefits.
David Kahler, a student health insurance advisory council member and fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental engineering, outlined the methodology for determining the costs of health insurance. Since 2000, health insurance prices have risen for students 45 years and older, a trend present “in the community and nationwide,” he said.
Insurance prices are bracketed by age, with the prices rising as age increases. However, one reason for the high price of health care is obstetrical and gynecological services. Kahler said GPSC does not support the use of gender brackets in determining prices and that it is currently illegal in North Carolina. He added that North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities is not pursuing the use of gender brackets either.
In other business:
GPSC Treasurer Fallon Ukpe, a student in the School of Medicine and the Fuqua School of Business, recommended that the council approve additional funds for the GPSC Basketball Campout beyond the current budget of $7,400, but no conclusion was reached. Campout will be Oct. 1-3. Registration is currently open and the event will have a silent auction for charity.
This story has been corrected to reflect that the Graduate and Professional Student Council supports the use of gender brackets in determining insurance costs. GPSC did discuss funding mechanisms for insurance plans but did not say GPSC supports gender brackets, neither Duke nor the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities group has any interest in gender-based premiums.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.