Update: This story has been updated to reflect Lisa Master’s role as a member of the Student Health Employees at The New School’s union (SHENS-UAW) Bargaining Committee.
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Since The New School changed health insurance providers from Aetna to UnitedHealthcare, students have faced a series of challenges. Not only was the waiving process more difficult than in previous years, but the stipulations regarding whose outside insurance does and does not qualify for a waiver has changed, and the student body, along with Student Health Services, is struggling to adjust to the changes.
The University Student Senate is hosting a Town Hall event on Monday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. in the Event Café, located on L1 of the University Center, where students will be able to learn more about the impacts of the insurance change and voice their own concerns.
“I don’t think everyone has to come in with a very crystal clear opinion about what’s happening,” said Weiouqing Chen, a 1st year MA student in the philosophy department at The New School for Social Research and senator on the University Student Senate. “I think by showing up, that is already a way of saying that this is a problem for us,” they said.
The Town Hall will be a continuation of student organizing efforts that have been going on since the university announced its plans to change insurance providers. However, they’ve had difficulty getting much of a response from the administration.
“Students have been organizing since the beginning of summer, and they’ve been meeting with the administration since the beginning of the school year,” said Katie Gruszecki, a 3rd year MA student in the philosophy department at NSSR and a student organizer. “Everyone that we have met with has passed the blame onto somebody else.”
The organizers are hoping that this event will prove to the administration that there have been significant consequences to their decision to change providers. Comments from the Town Hall will be compiled and there will be an online portal that collects anonymous responses in the week following the event, for students who may feel uncomfortable speaking publicly.
“What I want to get out of this is just to have the school very honestly and very openly address the situation with the students, so we can at least start a conversation about this and see how we can move forward that’s best both for the school and for the students,” Chen said.
The decision to switch from Aetna to UnitedHealthcare has resulted in a number of concrete changes to students’ abilities to access healthcare resources. The generic versions of ADHD medications are no longer available, creating a cost barrier for many individuals. Student Health Services is seeing delays in receiving certain birth control methods, like IUDs.
Additionally, doctors and therapists who used to take referrals from The New School can no longer do so, because they aren’t in-network for UnitedHealthcare.
“We developed relationships with providers in the community, over the course of years, who took the previous insurance,” said Lisa Master, a member of the SHENS-UAW Bargaining Committees. “This one decision was completely disruptive,” she said.
Additionally, under the new waiver stipulations, international health insurance plans weren’t accepted. This meant that all international students either had to buy insurance through the school, or take the time to find an American plan that they could afford, would meet the stipulations and would cover all of their medical needs.
“I think that damages international students’ trust in this administration,” Chen said. “For a portion of us, we just feel like the school sold us out, without ever asking us about these changes, without ever notifying us.”
It is issues like these that prompted the USS to hold a Town Hall, giving students who have been affected by the insurance transition a platform to speak out. University spokesperson Merrie Snead provided the New School Free Press with the following statement regarding the insurance changes:
“Insurance waiver requests are determined by our health insurance broker, Gallagher Student Health, who have the insurance expertise necessary to assess students’ policies and ensure that they are comparable with the Student Health Insurance Plan. Students who believe they were denied a waiver in error can contact Gallagher Student Health to discuss their individual plans in more detail.”
The USS, and organizers they are working with, are hoping that students will show up this afternoon to voice their concerns about the change in insurance. By making it clear to the administration that this is having tangible effects in the lives of students, they believe, they will open up a conversation about the issue. However, students who may be uncomfortable sharing their stories in an open forum can still have their voices heard.
“I think that if somebody is not wanting to participate in the demonstrations, which I understand, the best approach would be to go to the administration with these appeals and share their stories. I think that’s a really big deal,” Gruszecki said. “CC your dean, write an email to Student Success, submit your appeal, so they cannot say this isn’t happening.”