Area schools share health insurance issues

Student insurance policies around Philadelphia are fairly similar. Penn's has drawn some recent criticism. In the midst of ongoing controversy over the rate structure of Penn's new student health insurance plan, students at other area universities voiced similar concerns about insurance costs and gave mixed reviews about the plans offered through their schools. Penn recently negotiated a new health insurance plan through Aetna US Healthcare which costs $850 per year and is mandatory for students who do not already have some other comparable coverage plan. Graduate students, many of whom have spouses and children, have complained about the plan's family rate structure. The plan costs $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," School of Arts and Sciences graduate student Christine Doran said. Doran, who serves on the graduate student insurance committee, explained that Penn graduate students want to pay the same amount per child, no matter how many enroll in the plan. Health insurance costs the same per dependent at Drexel and Villanova universities, and students at these schools seem happy with their plans. Drexel offers a health care plan in conjunction with Reliance Insurance costing $520 per year, Drexel's administrative secretary of Student Health Insurance Jennifer Kaus said. The Drexel plan family rates are $1,547 per year for spouses and $776 per child, regardless of the number of children enrolled in the plan, she added. Drexel graduate student Charlene Jackson -- whose husband and daughter are covered through the university -- praised the school's plan. "It works out well for me because I only have one child, but I don't end up paying more per dependent than if I had five," she added. Villanova students can pay $484 per year to obtain health insurance through the school in conjunction with Midwest National Life. Villanova Health Center Secretary Helene Taylor said students also have the option of covering themselves and their spouse for $2,114. Children can be added to the plan for $698 per child. "Our insurance costs a lot, but the coverage is very comprehensive," Villanova graduate student Deborah Heller said. Heller, whose husband is also insured through Villanova, called the rate structure fair. Like Penn, Allegheny University offers health insurance through Aetna US Healthcare. Allegheny's Student Health Insurance administrator Denise Green said the individual rate is $1,400 per year, and a student may pay an additional $2,600 to cover any number of dependents. "It seems a bit ridiculous that I am paying $2,600 just to insure my husband," Allegheny grad student Cathy Yang said. "But the coverage is good." Temple University offers three individual insurance plans through Blue Cross which cost between $400 and $2,100 per year. The plans vary in the extent of coverage they provide, according to Temple's Benefits Manager Janet Williams. Temple students can pay $1,200 per year to cover themselves and one other person and $1,600 to cover three people under the least expensive plan. "We have had the same complaints as Penn, but the rate structure is set by Blue Cross so there is not really much we can do about it," she said. Temple graduate student Kevin Cooper said he is paying an "outrageous" amount of money to insure himself and his wife. "I think the insurance companies know grad students usually only have a spouse and maybe one kid," he said. "They design the rate structure so it will be most profitable for them."