A breakdown of the insurance plan offered to students

Most students are unaware of what the UAF Student Health Insurance Plan covers.

For each illness treated outside of the clinic, the student must pay $150 up front. This is called a deductible. The deductible will not need to be doled out again for the same illness. For instance, if you go into the Tanana Valley Clinic with abdominal pain, you have to pay a deductible. Then the condition is diagnosed as appendicitis. Since appendicitis is another illness, you have to pay another deductible. When you have surgery for your appendicitis, insurance pays for 85 percent, and you have to pay the rest.

The 85 percent is called the usual and customary charge, and it is based on national averages. You will not have to pay another deductible. The maximum benefit is $50,000, so for that appendicitis surgery, insurance will pay up to $50,000. But you are still paying what the insurance will not cover, and of course, after that $50,000 is used, there isn’t any more. If you have a pre-existing condition, the student insurance plan may not be your best choice.

UAF’s Student Health Center, unlike most other colleges, does offer free basic medical treatment and contraceptives for students. However, there is a $100 fee for emergency room visits that do not lead to hospitalization. This fee is not included in the student health insurance plan.

At Oregon State University in Corvallis, deductible rates are $50 lower than UAF’s $150, but at their student health center, the costs are only 80 percent covered. The biggest downside to both insurance plans is the lack of dental and vision care. Accidents are covered, like a pencil in the eye, but student insurance will not help cover the cost of corrective lenses or a cavity filling.

The complete list of injuries and illnesses not covered by UAF undergraduate insurance is located both in the student health care packet and online. Some of these are noteworthy: “Injuries sustained while participating in any interscholastic, intercollegiate, or professional sport.” The insurance policy also does not cover injury sustained while “skydiving, parachuting, hang gliding, glider flying, parasailing, sail planning, [or] bungee jumping.”

Margaret Kellogg, the student insurance coordinator at the health center, says that this insurance is for the “unforeseen.” If you are reasonably healthy and believe you only need to protect against the bumps and bruises of life, then the student policy is a great deal. Garrett Kirin-Sovilewski, a UAF Wildlife Biology major, said that he hadn’t looked into the insurance policies that much because he never really needed them.

The health center is in the Whittaker Building, an unlabeled white building located across the street from the Wood Center. The same building houses the UAF Police Department and the UAF Fire Hall. Students with both private insurance and student insurance may use the health center, but some kind of insurance is required for all full-time students. For one full year at UAF, undergraduate health insurance costs $945. Students should find out what they are covered for and be responsible for learning what the limitations are. The information given out by the health center can be confusing, but it never hurts to take the time to understand it.