Though many doubt it can be implemented by the beginning of the next school year, plans have been discussed to create a new insurance program for UW-Madison students. It is hoped the new policy, which would automatically enroll every student into an insurance program unless an opt-out box on the tuition bill was checked, would remedy a myriad of ailments of the current insurance policy.
But some, including UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley, have reservations about the proposed program.
The university's Student Health Insurance Policy has been a financial quagmire, which cost the private companies who back the university's policy $1.3 million in losses, said Ferdinand Schlapper, director of administrative services at University Health Services.
According to Jessica Miller, a UW-Madison senior and chair of the Associated Students of Madison, the types of students who buy into SHIP are those who will mostly likely need medical assistance for chronic illnesses or expensive prescription medicines.
\In the most simplistic of terms, most of the healthy students on campus are not buying into the SHIP program, and a lot of students who have serious medical problems are,"" Miller said.
In order to cut their losses, insurance companies plan to raise premiums or cut benefits, Miller said.
Currently about 5 percent of domestic students choose to buy into the university's insurance plan. Among international students, who are forced to show proof of adequate insurance, that number rises to 50 percent, Schlapper said.
Schlapper also cited figures showing that 20 percent of university students lack insurance and another 20 percent are underinsured.
Hoping to raise the insurance pool, UHS has created a negative check off plan which would enroll every student unless he or she would select to deny the service. Schlapper estimated this would raise the participation rate to 30 percent.
Wiley said he was concerned about how students would opt out of the system.
""My reservations have to do with why the insurance companies would quote lower group rates for a 'mandatory' plan that has an unrestricted voluntary opt-out provision. My assumption is that they would be counting on large numbers of people failing to opt out even though they really didn't want or need the insurance,"" he said. ""That strikes me as a deceptive practice.""
Miller said the program is not intended to trick students. Because of logistics involved, Miller said she doubted the new system will be instituted by next year.
""From everything we've been looking into, this is our best option. I'm optimistic that the university is going to take steps to fix health care on this campus,"" Miller said.
This is the third in a four-part series on the upcoming County Board elections.
