by Bryan Gibel
Daily Lobo
Students can voice their opinions on the future of UNM's health insurance at a meeting today.
The UNM Insurance Committee will give students a chance to help shape the 2008-09 student health insurance policy. The first meeting is at 1 p.m. in Room 234 of the Student Health Center.
The committee will try to balance quality of coverage with the cost students can pay, said Rosella Clifford, associate director of Student Health Center operations.
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"The challenge of student health care policy comes down to two things - what kind of benefits students want and how much it will cost," she said.
Clifford said today's meeting is the first in a series that will deal with the issue for the next three to four months.
Students who attend all the meetings will get a free massage at the health center, she said. The committee will decide today when and how often it will meet over the next few months.
Student Amanda Barka said she doesn't need health insurance from UNM, because she's covered by her parents' policy.
But Barka said the University's insurance policy is too pricey, especially for older students who have to cover all of their costs.
"I looked into it, and it's kind of expensive," she said. "We can't be working all the time and going to school. If they included the cost of insurance into tuition somehow, maybe financial aid could help cover it."
Clifford said the committee will come up with a wish list for insurance plans.
The wish list will be sent to insurance companies to get cost estimates, and the committee will review the estimates, she said.
Then the committee will recommend a plan to the UNM administration for approval, which is usually finalized in April, Clifford said.
She said last year's student participation was low.
Many students haven't used the school's health insurance, so they don't know how important it is, said Beverly Kloeppel, director of the Student Health Center.
"The medical system is very expensive," she said. "The cost of coverage can run into the thousands of dollars very quickly and can easily put students at risk of not being able to continue
in school."
Kloeppel said even minor injuries can cost a lot.
She said students should take advantage of the opportunity to voice their opinion on student health insurance.
"We'll give people health care in an emergency whether they have insurance or not," she said. "But insurance is important to students' financial health."
