|
|
|
Sue A. Greninger (Human Ecology), Chair of the Faculty
Welfare Committee, has filed with the Secretary of the Faculty
Council a recommendation from the Faculty Welfare Committee on
the availability of information about the 1998-1999 medical insurance
plan alternatives set forth below. The Secretary classified this
recommendation as general legislation. The 10-day circulation
rule for general legislation will be satisfied on April
20, 1998.
Notice is hereby given that this legislation will
be presented to the Faculty Council for action at its meeting
on April 20, 1998.
The Faculty Council Distributed to members of the Faculty Council on April 10, 1998.
16797
The Faculty Welfare Committee makes the recommendation
set forth below:
RECOMMENDATION:
That the University of Texas System provide complete,
understandable, and easily accessible information about the 1998-1999
medical insurance plan alternatives approved by the University
of Texas Board of Regents to faculty members via its internet
website no later than May 18, 1998 . This information should (1)
compare alternatives on the basis of premium costs, potential
out-of-pocket costs, coverage, exclusions, limitations, (2) provide
an up-to-date listing of available service delivery agents including
hospitals, clinics, physicians, and pharmacies by plan alternative,
and (3) provide information regarding the levels of approved premium
sharing.
RATIONALE:
Medical insurance coverage is critical to the well-being
of faculty members, and the time required to fully assess the
complexity of available choices has lengthened during recent enrollment
periods. In order for faculty members, particularly those who
will be leaving the Austin area for the summer, to have adequate
time to review, deliberate, and choose the most appropriate medical
insurance plan for themselves and their dependents, complete comparison
information is needed in an easily accessible and timely manner.
Given that the Board of Regents will not approve the contracts
of service deliverers until May 13 or May 14, 1998, and the selected
deliverers will not want to incur the cost of printing their own
materials until after the Board has approved their contracts,
the Faculty Welfare Committee believes that the University of
Texas System's Employee Group Insurance Office is the only source
that could disseminate useful, timely information to faculty members
before many leave campus at the end of the Spring Semester. Because
personnel in the System's Employee Group Insurance Office will
have developed and provided comparison information to the Board
for its consideration in approving the contracts, the Faculty
Welfare Committee believes that appropriately-edited comparison
material could be placed on the University of Texas System's website
by May 18, 1998, for faculty use. Copies of the website information
could be disseminated by the University of Texas at Austin's Employee
Benefits Office to those who do not readily have internet access.
|