When McCormick Jr. Antonio Rocca first arrived in Northwestern, he opted out of Northwestern student health insurance plans, believing that his personal ones were sufficient.
However, after encountering medical problems in the freshman year, Rocha realized that his plans were not well covered. He said he contacted the Undergraduate Financial Assistance Department in the middle of the school year and asked for the coverage he got after some hesitation at the end of them.
“The details of determining if your plan is an equivalent plan were a bit too complicated,” Rocha said. “All of this was listed and it was very difficult to analyze the information.”
NU evaluates personal health insurance plans through an annual online survey that students must complete. Otherwise, the student will be automatically enrolled in NU-SHIP. Universities determine the essential health benefits as defined by the Affordable Care Act, from outpatient and emergency services to prescription and obstetric care.
If a student answers “no” to any of their personal planning requirements, they will need to enroll in NU-SHIP to ensure full coverage while on campus.
NU-SHIP is an option for all undergraduate and graduate students residing in the United States, but international students are required to enroll in NU-SHIP, even if they have equivalent plans in their home country.
The annual premium for NU’s insurance plan is $ 4,386. Nevertheless, the care provided within the network will incur a $ 250 deduction for students and a $ 2,000 annual out-of-pocket limit before NU-SHIP begins coverage. For off-network care, the deduction will increase to $ 500.
NU-SHIP does not cover the cost of dentistry and vision. Instead, students who want to cover these services can choose an external plan run by the university.Delta Dental Students cost $ 391.23 a year, and the more limited coverage plan, Delta Care, costs $ 188.50 a year. The cost of a vision insurance plan is $ 87.66 per year for students.
Some, like Rachel Côté, a first-year master’s student in Bienen, want NU-SHIP to also cover dental and visual insurance.
“(Dental examination) is really important for your … dental health,” Côté said. “But it’s very expensive. It’s pretty frustrating.”
Low-income students have a variety of financial assistance experiences
Students who cannot afford to pay the full amount will receive support from the Undergraduate Financial Assistance Department. For Jasmine Rieju, a sophomore in McCormick, needs-based financial assistance covers the program registration fee.
Rieff said NU-SHIP will cover her medical costs reasonably well as long as the referral is made through Northwestern Medicine. When she visited the emergency treatment for patella dislocation, she said she still had about $ 500 left for her remaining charges.
“Saar (Hall) was clearly reserved all day, so I had to go to urgent care,” Rieju said. “I think part of (why I still have to pay) was that I wasn’t referred. They just told me to go to emergency treatment verbally.”
Rieju also added that he would pay a small fee for individual services such as treatment. NU-SHIP pays for mental health in offices within the network, but students like Rieff have to pay $ 20 per session. Still, she can submit her out-of-pocket receipt to an office in the network for a refund.
When asked about accessibility, Rief said he wanted NU-SHIP coverage and procedures to be more transparent and understandable.
Some students, such as Weinberg’s Senior Elizabeth Wolf, will not be reimbursed for their doctor’s out-of-pocket costs such as mental health services. According to Wolf, reducing treatment costs is beneficial, but it adds $ 20 per session.
Wolf also endured two hospitalizations during her time at NU as a result of a chronic migraine-one of which resulted in a $ 1,500 invoice not covered by her insurance plan. rice field. However, according to Wolff, NU-SHIP has reduced this amount from the original $ 7,500 charge.
“The coverage is pretty good,” Wolf said. “I know that none of your mental health care is eligible for your deduction, though I think it’s still pretty good news.”
In an email to The Daily, Media Relations Director Hilary Hurd Anyaso said the university would cover all costs of the NU-SHIP insurance plan for low-income earners. She did not comment on this variability in NU-SHIP health care compensation among students receiving financial support.
“The Financial Assistance Department will contact all new students who are eligible for assistance and provide them directly with money,” she writes. “The Financial Assistance Department will actively contact all qualified students and make sure they are aware of this benefit before coming to campus.”
International students must enroll in NU-SHIP
Students with a J-1 or F-1 US visa are required to enroll in NU-SHIP regardless of their return insurance plan. For the trowel, this means she has to pay the full amount of the insurance plan.
Originally from Montreal, Côté has a bachelor’s degree in Canada. She said she used her mother’s insurance for dental, vision and other professional insurance that is not covered by Canada’s public health system.
Since coming to Nurtam, she said she wants to have a tiered system that can opt out of certain costs that don’t need to be covered.
“It’s frustrating to have no yes or no, just as you couldn’t come without (insurance),” Kote said. “I’m paying at least $ 5,000 more than I expected to come here. This is important when you don’t have a lot of money.”
Kote added that he admits that he is a lucky and relatively healthy person who does not need all the coverage provided by NU-SHIP. However, she said that services such as her fertility treatment and treatment of existing conditions she does not have are coverage that she does not anticipate will be needed in the future.
According to Kote, international students may be subject to compulsory compensation by NU-SHIP so that they can be taken care of during their stay in the United States.
“If you didn’t have insurance while you were abroad, it could put someone in a bad situation,” Côté said.
For other international students like Weinberg Jr. Evelyn Long, the price of NU-SHIP is the same as other student plans. She said that Long had permanent residency in the United States, so her family found it easier for her to stay in NU-SHIP.
Long said the flexibility of the program appealed to her. Students can purchase year-round coverage or opt in at any time at the beginning of any semester.
“It seemed more convenient because more people use NU-SHIP,” Long said. “The school has already provided information and knows to work with the Northwestern University Health Center.”
Still, some students believe that the high cost of NU-SHIP does not match the coverage they actually need. Important aspects of health insurance include seeing a general practitioner, visiting an emergency room, and mental health services, according to Kote.
Kote added that if NU allowed it, she would still have her mother’s insurance plan.
“Until I’m 26, I’ll be covered by my mother’s plans … I’ll cover the medical costs when you’re abroad,” Côté said. “I could have stayed at it entirely, but I still had to get the NU-SHIP.”
Email: [email protected]
twitter: @swarthout_iris
Related story:
— — The deadline for enrolling in health insurance under the Medical Insurance System Reform Law is January 15. Here’s what you need to know before joining.
— — Northwest canteen workers refused to extend health insurance, COVID-19 security protection in mass dismissal
— — Changes to student health insurance include premium increases and prescription medication benefits
