University of Rochester makes changes to employee health plans

The University of Rochester is making a major change to its health care coverage for employees. Those employees who have, until now, have not been required to pay into their health insurance plan will do so under new University guidelines. There are approximately 4300 employees at the University of Rochester who pay co-pays associated with their insurance plan, not a premium.

Beginning in January 2008, those employees will now have to pay 20% of their insurance premium. The move comes after the University set up a task force to determine how it would curb its growing health insurance costs. A task force survey by the University estimates the U of R would be pay $153 million dollars by the year 2012 if it did not make a health care plan change.

Those employees under a single coverage health care plan will now pay 20% of their premium. Full-time employees who earn $40,000 or less a year will pay less of premium.  Those employees who earn $100,000 dollars or more per year will pay more of the premium. All four new health care plans are PPOs, meaning employees will be required to pay out of their pockets until the deductible is met, then the insurance coverage activates. University officials say the plan was picked so employees would have a better sense of what health care actually costs.

The new plans do include direct access to specialists and do not require co-payments for preventative care such as well-child visits and mammograms.