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The Board of Trustees will vote on a resolution during it July 12 meeting to restructure the extended care component of the Student Medical Benefits package.
If passed, the resolution will approve a proposal begun by the Student Health Advisory Committee to provide year-round health coverage to all students, whether or not they are enrolled in summer classes.
The fee will be divided into two payments of $174.20 that will be added to each student's bursar bill and provide 12 months of coverage. As with the current plan, financial aid will be able to cover the fee, and students with outside insurance can apply for a refund.
The proposal was discussed during the board meetings in May and June. Larry Dietz, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment, said he is not aware of any drawbacks and that the board has seemed receptive to the change.
"I hope it will pass," Dietz said. "The only discussion that occurred was about the implementation. We had to do some restructuring internally to accommodate the collection of the fee.
"All of the discussion was about when to implement it, though, not whether or not to do so."
If passed, the different format of the health fee will begin fall 2004, with the first summer semester covered under the new plan in 2005.
Cheryl Presley, director of Student Health Programs, said they may offer summer 2004 coverage at the discounted $80.40 to allow students to be covered and to smooth the transition to the new plan.
Under the current structuring, students pay two installments of $134 for the fall and spring semesters, and $80.40 for the summer if they are enrolled in classes. The restructuring will not cause an increase for students enrolled all year.
However, students not enrolled in summer classes who wish to continue their coverage have to pay $275 for the insurance. The restructuring will save those students almost $195 and allow them to maintain coverage during the summer.
As a result of the current high costs, Presley said many students choose not to buy coverage for the summer.
The majority of SIUC students rely on Extended Care as their only source of health insurance. With less than half of the students from the fall and spring enrolling in summer classes, many experience a lapse in coverage.
"A lot of them go home to make money during the summer, or work or do internships, and they typically just do not think about getting it," Presley said. "They just take the chance that they'll be OK."
All accidents and on-going medical conditions are considered pre-existing. Therefore, they are not covered once insurance begins again in the fall.
Presley said many students risk being turned down for treatment in the fall for an accident or illness that occurred in the summer.
A major component stated in the rationale for the board's resolution was that "because so many students are not covered during the summer, they are vulnerable to unexpected and uncovered medical expenses that often interfere with their ability to complete their education."
The Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate and Professional Student Council almost unanimously passed the proposal in the spring.
Presley said she anticipates more students who are not taking summer classes to take advantage of the extended care package. Although they will pay an extra $80, it is more affordable than the $275 charged for the same service under the current plan.
All students have access to primary health care, which is a mandatory fee that provides services such as lab tests, radiology exams and visits to the Wellness Center.
"But sometimes, students may be hospitalized, need surgery or have an illness like diabetes that they have to manage and require specialist care," Presley said. "The Extended Care acts like an insurance policy or an HMO would. The primary care physician can refer them out to a specialist, and the package covers anywhere in the country."
She added that all students would be able to benefit from the restructuring. They will be able to schedule medical treatment when it least interferes with their classes. The coverage will also include the summer after graduation in order to provide students with health protection while finding employment.
Presley said the price for outside coverage could be as high as $200 to $500 per month.
She said giving more students coverage widens the pool of potential accidents, but it is a risk they are willing to take.
"It is more of a risk for our insurance company than it is for the students, but we really feel strongly that it takes a lot of barriers away from the students and financial burdens that they might have," Presley said.
She added that students with comparable coverage could go to the Student Health Services web site and fill out a form to waive out of the benefits package. However, she said most students use it in addition to outside insurance because of its low cost and ability to cover additional fees not otherwise covered.
Student representatives spoke to the board committees, and it will make its final decision at its meeting July 10 at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.
"The students were real advocates for coverage in the summer," Dietz said. "I think it will extend a terrific benefit to a lot of folks who have not been covered here before. I think it's a good idea."
