GSA unsatisfied with university medical insurance
By Dorothy Augustyniak
Oct. 28, 2002 9:00 p.m.
Graduate students said they continue to experience problems with
their university-issued medical insurance even after their student
government has brought the issue to campus health officials.
The graduate student population uses the medical insurance more
often than undergraduates due to the wide range of ages among
graduate students.
The Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan, the mandatory plan
for graduate students who would otherwise be uninsured, costs them
$750 per year. It includes core medical services including mental
health, dental and vision coverage.
Dorothy Kim, Graduate Student Association vice president of
internal affairs, said graduate student representatives have been
complaining about unclear medical bills since last February.
“There is no clear-cut explanation or estimate on how much
x-rays or physical therapy cost,” she said.
GSA has yet to find solutions to this problem since it lost
touch with the student health advisory committee. Kim expects the
new members of the student health advisory committee to be at
future GSA meetings this quarter.
For now, many students are in the dark about GSHIP.
Frank Kinkamos, a first-year physical sciences graduate student,
said he had to drop a class to pay for medical services he received
elsewhere because GSHIP would not cover them.
“I got slammed with bills of over $550, and the bill does
not explain what I’m paying for,” he said.
Spinal manipulation, acupuncture/acupressure, biofeedback and
allergy testing are some services not covered by GSHIP and must be
paid for separately.
Kinkamos said he received no assistance and was told by his
insurance company that a collection agency would contact him if the
bill was not paid on time.
Students who do not pay their medical bills by deadline will
have their medical records on hold and will be unable to make
appointments with doctors, Kim said.
Michele Pearson, press aide for the Student Health Advisory
Committee, said there has been confusion among graduate students
about what the insurance covers and miscommunication with health
administrators.
“Medical care in this area does not give immediate
responses to student concerns like it should be, and causes them to
be frustrated,” she said.
Pearson said it is critical that graduate students read the
benefits of GSHIP online prior to using it.
Along with unclear medical statements, Kim said graduate
students experience the most trouble scheduling appointments with
specialists.
“With classes, research and teaching sessions throughout
the majority of the day, it’s impossible to schedule an
appointment that works well with us,” she said.
Some graduate students find themselves in need of seeing a
specialist as soon as possible and cannot find an appointment that
suits their schedule.
Jane Leary, a second-year mathematics graduate student, said she
noticed a bad mole on her arm last quarter and was in need to see a
dermatologist.
“No dermatologist was available when I had the time. I
don’t want to go through the hassle of finding a
specialist,” she said.
Leary said she feels she’s putting her health at risk by
not seeing a specialist right away due to her time constrained
schedule.
Some are willing to sacrifice their studies to see a
specialist.
Sandy Iyoung, a first-year anthropology graduate student, said
she had to make up an exam to make an appointment.
“I had to cut class to see a specialist because my health
has always been a priority,” she said.
With the limited number of specialist appointments, the Arthur
Ashe Health and Wellness Center does its best to bring over
specialists from the UCLA Medical Center, said Albert Setton,
deputy assistant vice chancellor of student development and health
division.
Setton said he hopes specialty hours available to students will
better meet their health care needs.
