Columbia University Health Services

While many health concerns can be addressed effectively by our on-campus clinicians, some may require intensive, emergency or ongoing treatment by outside providers. For this reason, Columbia University requires all registered full-time students to have acceptable health insurance coverage. The University offers the Student Medical Insurance Plan at two levels of coverage: Basic and Comprehensive, in partnership with Aetna Student Health. Coverage is underwritten by Aetna Life Insurance Company. To ensure that students have adequate coverage, all registered full-time students are automatically enrolled in the Basic Level of the Plan if no valid waiver request is submitted by September 30, 2007 for fall enrollment and February 1, 2008 for spring enrollment. Full-time students must confirm their insurance selection every year by actively enrolling in the Basic or Comprehensive Level of the Plan or by requesting a waiver of automatic enrollment in the Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan and demonstrating coverage under another comparable policy.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
STUDENT MEDICAL INSURANCE UPDATE FOR 2007-2008

BENEFIT CHANGES

There have been several important benefit changes to the Columbia Student Insurance Plan and Health Service Program for the plan year 2007-2008.These changes include benefits for mental health services, prescriptions and immunizations administered at Health Services.

Effective with the new plan year on September 1, 2007, the Aetna Student Insurance Plan, administered by the Aetna Student Health, has been redesigned to meet the requirements of New York State legislation, “Timothy’s Law.”

In December 2006, legislation known as “Timothy’s Law” was signed mandating parity between insurance benefits provided for medical conditions and those for biologically based mental health conditions. This law also requires some insurance coverage for the treatment of non-biologically based mental health disorders.

Under New York State Law, biologically based conditions in persons over 18 years of age include Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, delusional disorders, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. For detailed benefit information please refer to pages 19-21 of the Health Insurance at Columbia brochure available at www.aetnastudenthealth.com.

Students who enroll in either the Comprehensive or Basic Plan level of the Columbia Plan for the 2007-2008 benefit period, and are planning to begin or continue treatment with a mental health provider, will need to determine if their clinician is a “preferred” or “non-preferred” provider within the Aetna network. The University continually encourages providers with whom Columbia students have had positive therapeutic relationships to join the Aetna network. This decision, of course, is solely the providers’. Students should inquire, therefore, before beginning or continuing treatment, if their provider has elected to join the Aetna network, as treatment with a non-preferred provider may include significant out-of-pocket expense.The plan will reimburse “non-preferred” providers 70% of the reasonable and customary charge. To confirm if your provider participates with Aetna please access the Aetna Docfind at www.aetnastudenthealth.com.

The Health Services Program will continue to cover on campus treatment (at Counseling and Psychological Services of Health Services at Columbia ) and off-campus referrals. The Health Service Program will cover the first seven off campus visits. The student will be responsible for a $10 copay per visit in addition to 30% of the reasonable and customary cost for services with a “non-preferred’ provider. For students continuing treatment after seven visits, reimbursement will be dependent upon their insurance coverage and category of their diagnosis. If you have waived the Columbia Plan in the past, it will be important to carefully evaluate your plan’s benefits to ensure that it will meet the new waiver requirements and that you may continue to receive treatment.

Every year Health Services at Columbia re-evaluates the health insurance being offered, making adjustments and negotiating changes as necessary so as to offer the most cost-effective appropriate coverage possible.Below are additional benefit modifications:

• $75 surgical copay structure on Comprehensive and Basic Plan levels.
• Increase the third tier formulary copay to $40 (tier 1 copay is $10, tier 2 copay is $25).
• Increase the Prescription Drug Maximum on the Comprehensive Plan to $5,000 and eliminate the 80% reimbursement of the cost of medication once the maximum is reached.
• Include coverage for the following immunizations dispensed at Health Services:
  
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis Combination – A and B
• Tetanus / Diphtheria
• Tetanus / Diphtheria / Pertussis

Detailed information on the outpatient mental health diagnosis categories and all other benefit changes to the Columbia Plan can be found at www.aetnastudenthealth.comas well as at http://www.health.columbia.edu/.

The deadline for utilizing the University’s online enrollment system is September 30, 2007.

For more information, please contact Aetna Student Health at 800-859-8471 or Columbia ’s Insurance Office at 212-854-2284.

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Students must confirm, upgrade or request a waiver from automatic enrollment in the Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan every year before the specified deadline.