Minutes before the Steering Committee began its meeting Tuesday afternoon, the board room of the Administration Building was buzzing with talk of a new health care plan requirement frustrating faculty and staff.
Faculty and administrators spent almost an hour voicing their concerns and discussing the dependent eligibility verification process, which requires those who cover a dependant under their MSU health plan to send indicated documentation that might include a copy of a marriage license or birth certificate, by Jan. 3, 2013.
The verification process is being conducted to confirm that all dependents on MSU health plans meet the eligibility requirements in order to continue receiving health care, according to a newsletter from the Department of Human Resources.
MSU is using Mercer, a health care consulting firm, to conduct the verification process, according to the newsletter.
MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said part of the dependent eligibility verification process’ role is to reduce costs of health care packages for faculty and their families.
“This is an example, I think, of trying to be responsive to a general verdict, which is that we need to try to find a way to significantly curb the … health care costs,” Simon said.
MSU employees who meet these requirements received a letter in the mail asking for documents to verify their relationship with the dependents to be submitted by Jan. 3, 2013, otherwise, the dependents will lose their benefits.
Since the letters recently were sent, Simon said she has received many complaints about the verification process.
Fred Poston, vice president for finance and operations and the new dean for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, even complained about the process, telling Simon he cannot find his marriage license, Simon joked at the meeting.
Simon said many employees, including herself, were not fully aware of the process before they received the letter.
“It is something that is both a communication issue and is an organizational issue,” Simon said.
Professor in the College of Music Deborah Moriarty expressed her frustration with the verification requirements because she cannot locate the proper documents. Moriarty said she also was unhappy about having to gather the paperwork during her holiday break, considering she was given such short notice.
Even though the Department of Human Resources acknowledged that this might be an inconvenience for staff, the newsletter emphasized the importance of the verification process in keeping costs low.
“Though inconvenient, eligibility verifications are an important tool we must use occasionally to continue maintaining a high-quality and affordable health benefits package for MSU faculty and staff,” the newsletter stated.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “Insurance requirements upset faculty” on social media.
