New year poses problems for students opting out
All students will have to pay UMSU insurance fees
CHELSE MCKEE, STAFF
The UMSU Health and Dental Plan opt-out system has gone exclusively online, which could cause trouble for the approximately 12,000 students who opt out each year.
Last year, the Aurora registration system caused hundreds of students to be incorrectly filed on the plan — students who opted out paid for service while some paying student were unable to access the plan until Feburary.
Last year’s problems, says Gary Sran, president of UMSU, were based on a lack of communication.
“When they switched to [the Aurora system] last year, there was hardly any consultation or work done to incorporate the UMSU Health and Dental Plan. So when it came time, the Aurora system was unable to properly opt out people or opt in people.
Sran added that Aurora would automatically re-register students in the plan when they added courses, meaning that Aurora was unable to provide an accurate list of students registered or not registered with the plan.
UMSU reported at its January 25 meeting that it had received a final list of students. In February the complaints of 200 students were resolved. \
As a result, this year all students will pay the initial insurance fees included in their tuition. Students who opt out will be reimbursed late in the fall semester.
After Sept. 19, the university will forward the fees collected toward the plan to UMSU. Then UMSU willl be responsible for refunding students who chose to opt out.
“We were forced into this option,” Sran states. “This is definitely a huge concern for us and we were forced into the situation.”
UMSU does have a solution for students who may suffer a financial burden due to the forced upfront insurance fee. The group plans to provide promissory notes for students who are unable to pay the $226 fee upfront.
UMSU has hired a new services coordinator, Sharilyn Finnley, who works in the UMSU health plan and addresses each complaint on a case by case basis.
All appeals brought forth will be directed to the health insurance plan committee.
Sran said that UMSU plans to keep working with the Aurora team to return to the option of opting-out back to the convenience of its original set-up before the integration into the Aurora system. Once again, students will be able to opt-out online and have the fee assessment quickly corrected.
Students are only eligible to opt out of the UMSU Health and Dental Plan with proof of other health insurance. Students must opt out of the plan every year.
Full-time students (three credit-hours per term) are eligble for 12 months of coverage on the health plan for $226.
The UMSU Health and Dental Plan was created as the result of a 2001 referendum.
