ASUU hosted a town hall on Monday, Oct. 20, to discuss recent changes to graduate student healthcare plans. Panelists included Graduate School Dean Darryl Butt, Assistant Dean Mathew Plooster, Tuition Benefit Program Administrator LoGan Gowers and Chief of Staff Mary Anne Berzins.
Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) Secretary Sarah Bauer moderated the discussion, aiming to address concerns about limited graduate student representation and encourage dialogue about healthcare options on campus.
Student concerns
Gillian King, the associate director of accounting and finance at the Student Health Center (SHC), started off the town hall by outlining key points of the student health insurance plan. King explained that SHC serves as the primary care provider through United Healthcare Student Resources (UHSR), where students are required to begin all care.
King went on to explain additional details about the insurance logistics. She said UHSR is a “smaller subsidiary” of the larger United Healthcare network but still operates within it. Providers outside of the University of Utah Health or the UnitedHealthcare network may not be covered under students’ plans.
Early in the discussion, students raised issues about incorrect billing and referrals. “[Our team] can work with the insurance provider to make sure we know what they need so that we can correct that information and make sure that it’s being billed correctly,” King said. “Do not ever settle for being billed out of network. That should not be happening.”
The panel then addressed a common question: “Why is healthcare so confusing, and why does our plan not cover very much?” King encouraged students to share their concerns about health coverage with national representatives.
“Healthcare is so confusing in this country overall because, transparently, it’s run as a business and not as a service,” King said. “We’re here to make sure you’re able to get a service out of that business — whatever we can do to help you navigate it. Unfortunately, it’s the system the whole country is dealing with.”
Personal experience
King and Heller later responded to a student’s question, expressing frustration with having to go through the Student Health Center to obtain a referral for long-term care in Utah Valley.
“I love this country, but sometimes our health insurance is hard. A lot of us who have been around the block a couple times will tell you that if we switch jobs or things change in our life, we have to switch which providers we’re seeing, and that’s terrible,” King said.
Heller explained that clinics located more than 25 miles from the Madsen Health Center do not require a referral, as they fall outside the “circle of coverage.” Butt also shared his perspective with students and attendees.
“This really is an incredibly good insurance policy,” Butt said. “I suspect when you get out, you’ll look back on this policy and go, I was pretty lucky to have a policy like that, because it is quite good. No insurance policy is perfect … even people like me don’t know everything. It happens, and it’s frustrating. But this insurance plan — there’s a narrative out there that it’s not good — it really is extremely good.”
Panelists pointed to the student insurance plan’s lower premiums and deductibles to support Butt’s response. He said the recent changes were made in response to graduate student feedback, including eliminating upfront premium costs and improving prescription drug coverage to reduce out-of-pocket expenses. “We always hear comments about insurance. We take those things seriously. We document them. Then we try to do something about them,” Butt said. “We take everything you say to heart.”
The town hall ended with Bauer highlighting upcoming events — including Boo Bash at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and a Kolaches and Coffee event in the Gardner Commons Nexus Lab — and encouraging attendees to participate.
