Grad students win battle in health insurance war

The University will reimburse graduate students for half the costs of a fitness club membership up to $300 per year. and Stephanie Cooperman Graduate and professional students won a small victory yesterday in their continuing dispute with University administrators over Penn's new student health insurance plan. Administrators agreed to keep the fitness facility benefits promised to students in January, according to Christine Doran, a member of the graduate student insurance committee. "Penn students that have the USHealthcare plan will still get the fitness reimbursement," Director of Health Services MarJeanne Collins said. "There may be a time lag before this change shows up on their contracts, but it will be there." The policy will reimburse graduate students for half the costs of a fitness club membership of up to $300 per year, Doran said. The new insurance plan -- offered through Aetna USHealthcare -- is mandatory for students who are not already covered by some other policy. Although this year's numbers are not yet available, approximately 6,200 undergraduate and graduate students were enrolled in the plan last year. "I am happy they saw their way clear in restoring the benefits," Doran said. "Graduate students have been working really hard with the University. They should be doing more to protect us. Instead, they've been doing more to protect their strategic goals." Doran said graduate students are still upset there is no constant rate for each dependent, and that families are forced to pay incrementally more money to insure each additional child. The family rates are $1,046 per dependent with one dependent, $1,855 per dependent with two dependents, $1,237 per dependent with three dependents and $927 per dependent with four dependents. "A student has to have four dependents enrolled in Penn's plan before the 'family rate' does not cost them more per dependent than having only one dependent would," Doran said. She added that the rates were "grossly unfair to families," and said graduate students want to pay the same amount per child, regardless of the number of dependents enrolled in the plan. University officials are confident they can resolve their conflict with the graduate students in the near future, according to Jeanne Fritsch, executive assistant to Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum. McCoullum and Associate Vice President for Campus Services Larry Moneta were unavailable for comment on the issue yesterday. Vice Provost for Graduate Education Janice Madden admitted that the University has had several past conflicts with graduate students, but insisted none of the students involved in the dispute have ever come to her office for a meeting. The graduate students' other criticism of the policy is the "capitation" fee -- the portion of the policy cost which goes to the primary care provider, Student Health Services. Under the original plan, money from students with the University's health insurance would have been spent on all students treated at SHS -- not just those enrolled in the plan. The University responded by cutting the capitation fee in half in May, but Doran said students are still concerned about the issue. A joint University-graduate student committee is being formed to deal with all of the insurance problems, but Doran said it has not been determined whether it will actually make decisions, or whether it will merely be an advisory committee.