This is a new requirement, implemented this year by the University. It
requires that students' private insurance plans "cover care related to
pregnancy and delivery". If a student's insurance plan does not cover such
care, they will be forced to buy into the University Aetna plan.
This requirement has several implications:
1) Students with pre-existing conditions, whose insurance does not
cover maternity care, may be rejected by Aenta, or their conditions might be
refused reimbursement/coverage because of their pre-existing status. Students
could be left paying for expensive medical procedures that their private
insurance would have covered.
2) Some insurance companies, including HumanaOne (a major national
insurance company), do not even offer maternity care for the state of New York.
This means that students covered by such insurance companies have no choice but
to buy into the Aetna plan.
3) The Aetna plan offered by the University costs $1,956 for the
2012-2013 year, for a monthly premium of $163. According to eHealth's survey of
policies*, the average premium for 2009-2011 for 18-24 year olds was $106,
putting the average cost of coverage at $1,272/year. The cost of Aetna's
student insurance is much more expensive than most private insurance options
for students under their parents' policies. However, if a student's private
insurance does not cover maternity care, they will be forced to purchase this
more expensive option.
This new policy by the University essentially requires that all
privately-insured students purchase the plan offered by the University, giving
them no choice in their own potential care or coverage. A student's choice in
insurance is a personal matter, but the University has ignored its students'
rights to decisions regarding their own bodies and budgets, instead choosing to
focus solely on the bottom-line of profit for themselves.
If you are effected by this new maternity care requirement in any way,
please consider signing the petition below. Thank you.
Sources:
http://news.ehealthinsurance.com/pr/ehi/document/2011_Cost__and__Benefits_Report_FINAL.pdf
This is completely unfair. I already pay for my own plan and to force me to pay for extra coverage i dont need is just another way for the uni to take my money.