Assurance of Insurance: Communication as a problem and as a solution

A mandated health insurance policy for international students at Central Michigan University caused some international students to advocate for a change in the policy for two semesters now. 

To decide what happens next, Provost Nancy Mathews charged a new Ad Hoc Committee with reviewing the current GeoBlue health insurance plan and students' opinions before deciding on the plan for next year. 

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Meanwhile, some CMU students continue to express their dissatisfaction with the policy.

What is a new Ad Hoc Committee?

Jennifer DeHaemers is the vice president of the Student Recruitment and Retention as well as the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee. 

The committee’s goal is to address concerns regarding the health insurance for international students, take into consideration students’ voices on campus and evaluate insurance plans, DeHaemers said. 

The committee has met every Tuesday morning since Feb. 7. Its intention is to make a recommendation to the president and provost by May 1 on the path that should be taken within the insurance matter, according to DeHaemers. 

The current GeoBlue insurance plan ends on July 31. The new one will start Aug. 1.

DeHaemers said the committee is reviewing the GeoBlue plan, comparing its price and what it covers to other health insurance plans. Companies submit their bids and CMU evaluates coverage and benefits provided, she said.

“The committee is really looking at all this for what’s best for our students, not just from a cost perspective, but also a coverage cost,” DeHaemers said. “And I realized that … $127 a month … that’s a lot of money, but insurance is meant for those moments when you need it.”

The advantage of staying with the GeoBlue is that CMU can be a continuing client, DeHaemers said. Sometimes if a client leaves a company and goes to another one, the price of insurance might increase, because cost on market grows each year, she explained. 

Himal Roka is a graduate student and a member of the International Welfare Committee that first took issue with the mandated health insurance policy. He asked for a new health insurance plan to be "affordable" and the work of the commitee to be "transparent and clear."

He also mentioned an idea that CMU should include the expenses for the health insurance into students' I20s, an international document that gives students an opportunity to apply for an international student visa.

One of the results of the committee already, DeHaemers said, is that the cost for the health insurance will now be mentioned on the international students I20s. 

The committee consists of:

· Jennifer Evanuik, executive director of the Office of Global Engagement;

· Ling Zhang, director of Graduate and International Recruitment;

· Jennifer Nottingham, executive director of Recreation Programs and Student Activities;

· Brian Bell, director of student account services and university billing;

· Brad Swanson, director of graduate studies.

The committee also consists of two international students. 

Involvement of international students at the committee

With selecting the students, DeHaemers looked at the diversity that candidates bring. She said she had a list of five recommendations from Deepmala Rana Bhat, president of the International Students Organization (ISO), and she chose two people from the list. DeHaemers chose students from Sierra Leone and India, who are a male and a female, an undergraduate and a graduate. 

Roka said that the two students selected cannot represent the opinions of all international students. 

“They just choose a few students who are in agreement with this insurance,” Roka said.

A senior from Sierra Leone, Joseph Marah, is one of the international students on the committee.

"Insurance affects me directly as an international student," Marah said. 

He belived he can bring the student voice, because he is experiencing same charges for the health insurance and wants to help the committee create an option that is good for everyone.

Rana Bhat said she recommended the students from ISO for these positions to the best of her knowledge. 

“That’s the change from the last year,” she said. “Now they are involving lots of people, lots of international students. That’s a good thing.”

Marah said he didn’t know he would be recommended for the position, but now he views it as an opportunity to help and uplift international student‘s voices. 

“I love being an advocate of things … and it’s a learning experience to be a part of this,” Marah said. “We think about the greater good of the community … I felt like it was important to be a part of (the committee) and participate in the process.” 

Marah said his involvement in the committee includes voting on if the university should renew the GeoBlue contract for the next year or engage in a new one as well as sharing recommendations on the insurance plan. He also reviewed results of the survey that the International Student Welfare committee offered the Ad Hoc Committee. 

As a result of his involvement in the committee, Marah said, he learned more about how the health insurance system works in the United States. He said it is important to educate other international students in the university as well so that they can understand the enforced policy.

DeHaemers said the committee is considering holding an educational session for the international students.

The other student's on the committee name was not released.

Students ask for better communication

Second-year international student from Spain, Carolina Hernandez Ruiz said she didn’t receive any communication from the committee throughout December and February, and a lot of international students have been asking her what is happening with the health insurance policy.

“It affects me because I’m international student,” Hernandez Ruiz said. “Our international students’ population is 1,500. That’s a lot of students … It’s people that need to be recognized … I’m part of the campus. I’m part of CMU.”

CMU International Health Insurance sent out two communications via emails updating international students on the work of the Ad Hoc Committee.

The first email, sent on Feb. 20, informed students that the committee has considered the survey provided by the International Student Welfare Committee. It also overviewed the recommendations from the consulting firm that helps the university with health insurance plans, called Mercer. 

The second communication took place March 7. It informed that the committee compared GeoBlue plan coverage with the International Student Health Insurance (ISO) one. 

In March 7 email the committee informed about two offers that are still being explored. They were an option for students graduating In May get a refund of two months and the option of billing the insurance cost monthly rather than by the semester.

Hernandez Ruiz reccomended the Ad Hoc Committee send out agendas of the committee meetings so that international students can follow up as the work goes along. 

DeHaemers said the work of the committee is confidential. 

“The only reason for that is because we’re considering a lot of things,” DeHaemers said. “I wouldn’t want somebody to hear something and then go and say, ‘this is what they’re doing,’ when what they hear may not be at all what we’re doing.”

However, DeHaemers said, she prefers to send emails every other week informing of the committee work updates.

Hernandez Ruiz said as a result of the committee work, she wants to see more options for the health insurance. She also asked the policy waiver dismissing students from GeoBlue be more “inclusive." 

“Before I had my own health insurance,” she said. “It worked perfectly fine. I covered everything that I need.”

Hernandez Ruiz said that it is also “essential” to be sending surveys to get all the international students opinions. 

According to the emails sent by CMU International Health Insurance March 23 and March 27, the Ad Hoc Committee requested international students to participate in the survey they created regarding the health insurance policy. The survey closed March 31.

A group of international students also participated in a demonstration voicing their unsatisfacting with the mandated health insurance policy. 

The demonstration took place Feb. 7 in front of Warriner Hall and the Bovee University Center. Graduate student from Nepal, Arjun Poudel, said around 10 people joined the demonstration.

“We were cold, but still we were there,” Poudel said. 

Hernandez Ruiz said the goal of the demonstration was to “spread the word” so that other students get informed and involved.

“My biggest message was … give us attention in sense that take us into consideration,” Hernandez Ruiz said. “What we need to say is really important.”

Assurance of Insurance series:
Health insurance from good intentions puts financial burden on international students
CMU sought health insurance policy after discovering it's one of two universities in the state without
International students' health insurance; what happens next

What are the students’ opinions on the mandated policy and insurance plan now?

Mouraj Choudhury is a doctoral student from Bangladesh. He said in his graduate assistant contract there was nothing about the mandated health insurance policy.

“My stipend is not getting increased, but my expenses are,” Choudhury said. 

He said that the enforcement of the policy could have been done “gently.” He offered that for students coming in 2023, the policy could be enforced. But for those who have already been at CMU, the insurance should have been optional.

Choudhury said that before the mandate, he didn’t have health insurance. 

“I never thought health insurance was not important,” Choudhury said. “Health insurance is important. It wasn’t my priority.”

He said now the mandate of paying more money to the university disrupts his attention and concentration on his research. 

Senior Tommy Camerino is a domestic student. She said she felt “horrible” for Choudhury because the insurance policy is a “big stressor.” 

“He struggles with stress about getting his work done already … and then (the policy) was put on top of it,” Camerino said.

Camerino supported the idea to mandate the policy for incoming classes but leave it optional for those who are already at CMU.

“I think they made it (with) good intentions, but … they didn’t do it in a way that was good communication,” Camerino said. 

Rana Bhat advocated for an “affordable” insurance plan; however, she said students should definitely want health insurance. 

“We don’t want to go back to how it was (with) no one having insurance,” Rana Bhat said. 

Poudel offered an idea of customizing the insurance plan based on individual students. Students should be able to choose different level of plans -- for example, basic, premium or other. 

“There are lots of options available,” Poudel said. “I think I’m very healthy, I just may need (a) basic (insurance plan). But if I’m scared I may get sick soon, I may get one that covers everything.”

Nevertheless, Rana Bhat said the insurance mandate is a good thing because she has seen students using the insurance. 

“They are saying it's good,” she said. “They have never been denied. When they go for services somewhere they know … it’s (Blue Cross) Blue Shield. ... There's no issue on that.”

Sunmin Lee is a third-year student from South Korea. She said she supports the health insurance mandate as long as the university communicates to students about it.

“I am happy about the university making it mandatory, but I think it was a huge problem that they didn’t promote and inform about it effectively,” Lee said.

This February Lee slipped and injured her leg on campus. Before she had health insurance from home but was panicking and couldn’t remember how to use it. Then she remembered that she had a GeoBlue international student health insurance, which she ended up using. 

“Nobody really knows when they will get injured,” Lee said. “It’s good to have easy access to insurance.”

To learn more about the committe work, health insurance and voice your opinion, join the town hall meeting from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Health Professions Building Room 2255. Participants may also join via WebEx.

The Ad Hoc Committee is organizing this town hall meeting to provide attendees with updates on the committee’s work, results of the recent surveys and answer students’ questions, according to the email from the CMU International Health Insurance sent March 30.