Every student must have health insurance to be fully enrolled at Biola University, yet the student health insurance offered at Biola has a far narrower scope than most employee-sponsored coverage plans.
Addictions, allergies, chronic pain disorders, organ transplants, teeth cleaning, and eye examinations are a few of the “exclusions and limitations” of the insurance plan. This isn’t a Biola downfall; it is a nationwide discussion. According to the Wall Street Journal, college health insurance plans are some of the worst in the nation, often having extremely low benefits and not extending coverage to areas like chemotherapy. For students who must have health insurance and have no other insurance options, student insurance is the only option. The real question is whether it actually does the student any good.
“[Health insurance companies are] always trying to balance the cost of the insurance with the coverage,” said Nancy Fitts, insurance coordinator and office manager of the Student Health Center.
Biola’s healthcare plan designed for healthy college students
A November 2009 study by the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy found that student health programs make more money than other insurance programs. According to the study, there is a general 10 percent profit margin for student insurance compared to a 2 percent profit margin for other insurance programs.
At Biola, students can pay $537 under United Healthcare per semester at Biola. Fitts explained that the plan is designed for healthy college students; for this reason, the plan does not cover chronic disease or wellness issues such as immunizations or physical exams.
The maximum benefit for each individual at Biola is $50,000. This amount is spread over both fall and spring semesters and can be applied to doctor visits, prescription drugs, X-rays, ambulance rides, blood transfusions, chemotherapy, and various other realms like breast cancer screening. For most services, 80 percent of the cost is covered if the services come from a preferred provider, one who has made a prior agreement with United Healthcare.
There are limits to the amounts given to a specific service. For example, as noted in the Biola “Student Injury and Sickness Insurance Plan” pamphlet, the maximum amount toward ambulance services per policy year is $1,200. This may sound like a lot, but the Government Accountability Office conducted a May 2007 study on Ambulance providers and found that costs per transport varied from $99 per transport to $1,218 per transport. The GAO stated that costs are on the rise. There is a possibility that the $1,200 might not even cover a single ambulance ride.
Although Fitts could not recount a particular instance, she stated that there have been many occasions when a student finds out that his insurance would not cover the costs of their medical expenses.
“It’s more for if you are sick or have injuries,” Fitts said.
Students seem happy with Biola’s coverage despite gaps
Meanwhile, several students, including freshman Debbie Park, gave only positive feedback about their experience with Biola student health insurance. Park signed up for student insurance because she was no longer on her parents’ insurance. Park stated that, prior to Biola, her family never took advantage of going to the doctor regularly for eye exams or teeth cleaning; they only went when there was a problem. Park’s student healthcare can facilitate these exact needs.
Eye inflammation sent Park to the doctor this fall where she was told to buy a $50-100 prescription.
“After I gave them my health insurance information, the price reduced to $20,” Park said.
Park intends to stay with her student health insurance throughout college.
Sophomore Danielle Leonard expressed her own positive feelings about Biola health insurance. Last month, Leonard was in the hospital twice in one week where she had an internal and external ultrasound, two pelvic exams and blood work done. A $50 co-pay per visit was all that Leonard had to provide after her health insurance coverage.
“[United Healthcare is] working out really well for me because if I didn’t have it I would have had to pay thousands of dollars to go to the hospital,” Leonard said.
When asked about the lack of dental coverage, Leonard admitted to being disappointed.
“I would like to have the freedom to go if I had a cavity,” she said. “Knowing that I couldn’t get it checked out is kind of frustrating.”
Most undergraduates stay on their parent’s healthcare plan
Of the near 6,000 students at Biola, only around 900-950 are signed up for the healthcare plan, a good many of them being graduate students, Fitts said. The other students have stayed on their parents’ plans.
“It’s a big learning experience, and it’s just thrown in with everything else,” Fitts said.
Senior Brook Stroup openly stated that she knew very little about her health insurance through Blue Shield. Similarly, freshman Devin DeCarie only had a vague idea of who his provider was, and he stated that it was “all taken care of before I came.”
An Employer Health Benefits Survey found that the average cost for single coverage health insurance in 2010 was $5,049. For students, $1,073 per year will take care of colds, flus, the occasional need for an X-ray and an ambulance ride or two. However, reoccurring doctor visits for mental illnesses, chemotherapy, stomach pains and chiropractic adjustments put a huge dent in a student’s pocket. Student health insurance does not have the same coverage range that most individual plans do. Yet, Fitts said, the balancing act between cost and coverage is a constant struggle. For only $1,073 per policy year, students can only get what they pay for.
“[United Healthcare is] very up front with everything and honest,” Fitts said. ”I really don’t think they are taking advantage. We get what we pay for.”
