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By Michelle J. Jones
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 30, 1996
International students purchasing mandatory health insurance through the university's HealthPartners plan will see a new option in their policy this semester.International students are still required to purchase the insurance, but this year, they may also receive treatment at University Medical Center, instead of only at Tucson Medical Center, said Murray DeArmond, director of Campus Health and Wellness Services.
He said the HealthPartners network is connected with TMC, and UMC uses the United Physicians Inc. network, so students were previously unable to use their insurance at UMC.
A subcontract in the university's agreement with HealthPartners has allowed the insurance to be used with either network, DeArmond said. He said students will be assigned to one of the hospitals when they purchase the insurance, but they will be allowed to switch if they would prefer the other hospital for any reason.
The university mandates that all nonsponsored international students purchase the supplemental insurance, regardless of whether or not they have insurance from their home countries. Although this policy has gotten a lot of criticism only in the past year or so, it has actually been in effect for about three years, said David Currey, assistant director of the Center for Global Student Programs.
Before federal regulations were implemented, the university excused students from purchasing the insurance if they showed proof of other insurance, DeArmond said. Problems arose, however, when students would get the requirement waived and then cancel the insurance, he said.
Around 1993, when the federal government passed regulations that require universities to ensure their international students carry insurance, the UA decided to protect the students and the university by mandating that everyone buy the HealthPartners plan and determining that no one will have the requirement waived.
"The university has the responsibility to make sure students are continually insured. We send letters out to the students so they are aware of the charges before they decide to come to the university," DeArmond said.
A UA information packet sent to prospective international students includes a section discussing insurance that states, "at registration, international students must purchase the Student Health Services supplemental insurance plan and maintain coverage throughout their enrollment."
Currey said financial estimates sent out to all international students also include the insurance cost, so students see the exact amount and what it goes toward. The HealthPartners plan costs $636 per year.
Campus Health Services Clinic Administrator Joyce Meder said the university is held financially accountable by the federal government when an international student requires care and does not have insurance.
Meder said the UA could be fined $50,000 for each occurrence, so the plan protects not only the students but also the university.
"On the whole, only a few students have complained about the current policy," Currey said. He said other schools, including those in the Pacific 10 Conference, follow the federal regulations in the same way as the UA.
International students are eligible for the same rates and benefits as domestic students.
The requirement for the insurance also saves money and a lot of time, as foreign policies would have to be translated and evaluated for each individual case, Currey said. Also, many foreign policies do not cover medical evacuations and the repatriation of bodies to the home if a student dies. These items are covered by HealthPartners.
DeArmond and Currey said the reason students are surprised by the American insurance is that many of them come from countries with social health care systems where everyone is automatically insured. Both said international students do not always understand the complicated insurance and fees.
"The international students are shocked at having to pay for everything in the U.S. We need to educate them on the American health system," Currey said.
Currey said he would like to do some of that educating at an open forum involving Campus Health Services and the Center for Global Student Programs. He said he thinks the program will most likely be held in October, after the center can advertise it to students in its newsletter.
"The insurance is really convenient if you don't have any, but if you do, I think it is a hassle," said Koh Sauk Li, a student from Singapore who did not carry her own insurance and said she has found the Campus Health Center to be helpful and easily accessible.
"I don't like it, though, that you have to purchase the insurance during the summertime, when you probably aren't even in the country. There is no point, and it seems like a waste of money," she said.
DeArmond said the HealthPartners plan does have benefits which students can carry internationally, such as emergency care. He also said the plan allows students to make arrangements to see a doctor in their home country if the need arises.
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