2008 Woodie Awards
University implements new employee healthcare plan for '07-'08
Bobby Pierce
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Campus
To confront the rising costs for university employee benefits, Miami University faculty and staff will see a re-worked and more expensive health care package this year. These changes will take place starting Jan. 1, 2008.
Carol Hauser, senior vice president of finance for Miami's human resources department, explained said that Miami's healthcare costs are increasing at a rate higher than the national average.
"CUPA (College and University Professional Association) surveys show the average rise in health care for schools is 9 percent a year," Hauser said. "Miami is rising by a little over 16 percent."
Hauser calls Miami's benefits package the "Cadillac" of health care, pointing out that the maximum an employee would pay for a heart transplant is $500. Many schools, she said, charge 20 percent of total costs for those sorts of operations.
She said that Miami also covers both birth control and sex-enhancing drugs such as Viagra, whereas many universities will not. This is beneficial, she said, since it attracts workers to Miami, but also means that costs will continue to rise.
These costs are dependent on an employee's income, Hauser said, pointing out that those who earn less, pay less. According to Hauser, an employee pays $14 a month for health care if they make under $20,000 a year. The most any employee would pay, Hauser said, is a little over $100 a month.
To offset this rise in health care costs, Miami has accepted a new healthcare package that will lower its average increase in costs per year.
Dawn Fahner, manager of benefit services at Miami, explained that with the new plan, the co-pay for routine office visits would rise from $20 to $25. Co-pay for emergency room visits will increase more drastically from $50 to $200.
Emergency room visits make up a large chunk of total costs, according to Hauser.
Hauser explained that the sharp rise in emergency room visits is due to incidents of employees going to the emergency room for non-emergencies. More than 40 visits to the emergency room last year, she said, were for sinus infections.
Carol Hauser, senior vice president of finance for Miami's human resources department, explained said that Miami's healthcare costs are increasing at a rate higher than the national average.
"CUPA (College and University Professional Association) surveys show the average rise in health care for schools is 9 percent a year," Hauser said. "Miami is rising by a little over 16 percent."
Hauser calls Miami's benefits package the "Cadillac" of health care, pointing out that the maximum an employee would pay for a heart transplant is $500. Many schools, she said, charge 20 percent of total costs for those sorts of operations.
She said that Miami also covers both birth control and sex-enhancing drugs such as Viagra, whereas many universities will not. This is beneficial, she said, since it attracts workers to Miami, but also means that costs will continue to rise.
These costs are dependent on an employee's income, Hauser said, pointing out that those who earn less, pay less. According to Hauser, an employee pays $14 a month for health care if they make under $20,000 a year. The most any employee would pay, Hauser said, is a little over $100 a month.
To offset this rise in health care costs, Miami has accepted a new healthcare package that will lower its average increase in costs per year.
Dawn Fahner, manager of benefit services at Miami, explained that with the new plan, the co-pay for routine office visits would rise from $20 to $25. Co-pay for emergency room visits will increase more drastically from $50 to $200.
Emergency room visits make up a large chunk of total costs, according to Hauser.
Hauser explained that the sharp rise in emergency room visits is due to incidents of employees going to the emergency room for non-emergencies. More than 40 visits to the emergency room last year, she said, were for sinus infections.
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