Listen Here
By: Olivia Wile
@wile_o
As with every new President who takes office, policies are anticipated to change with the election of Donald Trump.
This is clearly evident, as the president issued a travel ban on seven Middle Eastern counties within his first week in office and is currently working on a new healthcare bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
Changes in policies are not exclusive to Washington, D.C, however. The University of Findlay is in the process of implementing its own updated health insurance plan.
David Emsweller, Director of Student Affairs at the University of Findlay, says the current student health insurance plan has been intact at UF since his arrival in 1998. Emsweller sums up the plan, stating, “Right now we have a supplemental plan, it’s just a small plan, that covers $2,500 worth of [medical] expenses.”
With the current plan, students can go anywhere to receive medical treatment as long as their primary insurance covers it first. They must then send an explanation of benefits, and after coverage is applied, whatever money remains or is not covered by primary insurance will be reimbursed to the student.
Emsweller explains that Findlay’s plan is not the same as a full medical insurance plan, since a student’s maximum coverage for the year under that plan is only $2,500. Regarding changes both at the White House and in the current health insurance plan at Findlay, he stated, “Regardless of where the healthcare bill goes, past or future, we want to provide some type of plan that a student can purchase that provides comprehensive medical coverage.”
The University of Findlay is working to do just that, as Emsweller and his team are investigating several comprehensive plans that will allow students the option to receive full health insurance, or remain covered by their parents’ plan.
“We are seeing students who are arriving at college who have no major medical coverage,” Emsweller said. As a result, the goal for the new plan is to improve coverage while it remains inexpensive.
“Right now, we are talking to a variety of vendors and are obviously going to look for the most cost effective plan that offers though the best coverage,” Emsweller said.
Changes are predicted to go into effect in the Fall of 2018.
“Whatever gets passed in Washington will impact it, we just don’t know how yet,” says Emsweller.
