Loyola to require university health insurance plan for students
A Loyola sign sits bathed in sunlight outside Marquette Hall.
June 11, 2021
Loyola will be requiring students to enroll in a new university health insurance plan, barring they waive coverage with proof of alternate insurance for the 2021-2022 school year, according to Chief Student Affairs Officer, Alicia Bourque. All full-time undergraduate students are being automatically enrolled into the new Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan.
Students must provide proof of comparable, existing insurance coverage for the 2021–2022 academic year in order to waive coverage through Loyola, according to the email from Bourque. The deadline to waive the new insurance coverage and receive a full refund on your bill is Friday, September 3, 2021.
The new required health insurance plan will be available through Aetna Student Health for domestic students and LewerMark Student Insurance for international students, according to Bourque.
The annual rate for the new insurance is $2,540. The total cost for student-athletes is $2,940, including an additional one-time fee of $400 to cover intercollegiate athletics.
The Office of Student Affairs stated in an email that the Aetna Student Health plan will connect students to a network of doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and specialists throughout the country.
Some students claimed they did not receive the email. Patricia Murret, associate director of Public Affairs, said the email was sent to all students. Similar emails were also sent to parents, faculty and staff.
Providing false information on the online waiver or letting existing coverage lapse without informing the Office of Student Affairs may result in a charge on the student’s account and/or disciplinary action, according to Bourque.
Unknown Unknown • Jun 11, 2021 at 7:21 pm
This choice by Loyola purposefully effects poorer students by making them pay for expensive healthcare at an already expensive university. If Loyola would use their money to care for their students by providing them a basic healthcare plan for free rather than wasting it on racist professors’ salaries I could understand this. But by choosing to add a giant fee to student bills as a summer surprise, it’s shows what this university prioritizes.
Something this article does not mention is that out of state Medicaid (the insurance for those who live below the poverty line) will have to pay for this insurance because it does not count. This means that this disproportionally affects lower income students and families. It’s honestly disgusting.