New insurance policy elicits mixed reactions from students
- posted: 08 May 2007
- scrollcampus@byui.edu
A new policy is raising some eyebrows on campus this semester, and it doesn’t have to do with the dress code.
The BYU‑Idaho administration informed all married students by e-mail April 16 that they would be required to join the student insurance plan beginning Fall Semester 2007.
All BYU‑I students are required to have adequate health insurance that covers them in Rexburg, whether it is on the Student Health Plan, offered through Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators (DMBA), or a private insurance plan.
Students are automatically charged for the DMBA insurance unless they submit a waiver that certifies they are adequately covered under another plan.
Now, however, married students will not be allowed to waive the student insurance unless they are covered by an employer’s insurance plan, according to the e-mail sent out by the administration.
Student reactions to the announcement have been mixed. Many students expressed concern and even anger in response to the new policy.
“I don’t think you should be forced to be on the plan,” said Aubrey Case, a sophomore from Green River, Wyo. She and her husband, David, were on the Student Health Plan until they switched to a less-expensive plan at the beginning of this semester. The two will waive the new requirement in the fall, as David will begin receiving health insurance through his employer.
Due to the concerns that students voiced, President Kim B. Clark and other administrators held a meeting April 30 to answer questions about the new policy.
Administrators had been looking at the Student Health Plan for nearly a year before a decision was reached, said Shaun Orr, Student Health Center administrator. “The decision was not made lightly.”
BYU‑I has offered health insurance through DMBA for 20 years. Recently, the costs for the program had been rising, resulting in higher premiums, Orr said. Because of the rising costs, many students were looking for private insurance plans.
Many of the students who stayed with the school plan were unable to find coverage elsewhere, so their premiums kept rising, Orr said.
By requiring all married students to join in the plan, administrators were able to cut the per-semester cost almost in half, from $444 to $264 per semester, according to the announcement from the administration.
“[The new policy] can be good for all of us,” said Matt Nelson, a junior from Geneva, Ohio, who has been married for a year and a half. “But it seems to limit our ability to choose for ourselves.”
The plan is reviewed annually by the Church Board of Education and state and federal government agencies, according to information sent by the administration to married students before the April 30 meeting.
“We believe that the Student Health Plan sufficiently addresses medical costs for the majority of students,” said Orr, who has been designated by President Clark to represent the administration on the issue. 
