Iowa State University


Inside Iowa State
November 17, 2000

Annual P&S roundtable luncheon is Dec. 7

by Anne Krapfl
After objection to an executive committee motion for a secret ballot on the issue, the Professional and Scientific Council narrowly approved a motion Nov. 2 to support Iowa State's proposed domestic partners insurance policy. The secret ballot vote was 14 to 11, with three abstentions. Four council members were absent. The proposal is that Iowa State provide the same insurance premium credits to same-sex partners as it does to married and common-law partners.

The Faculty Senate endorsed the proposal at its October meeting and interim president Richard Seagrave approved it earlier this week. (See related story.)


ISU Plan changes
In other business, nearly 100 people attended the council's noon forum. Mark Power, chair of the University Benefits Committee, discussed changes to the ISU Plan for the year that begins Feb. 1, 2001. Two of the dilemmas the benefits committee faced, he said, are upwardly spiraling costs nationally for health care and prescriptions and, in Iowa, little competition due to a limited number of health insurance providers. He said more vendors are expected to begin serving Iowa next year and committee members will investigate whether any of them can improve cost or coverage for ISU Plan participants.

He said the committee sought to balance premium increases across the four plan options so that need -- not premium amount -- drives people's plan selection. While the percentage of the employee's share of the premium increase would appear to swing wildly (6 percent to 1,200 percent), the actual increase, in dollars per month, ranges from $0 (HMO plan for a single person) to $43 (catastrophic plan coverage for a family). Most monthly premium cost increases to employees are between $8 and $26.

Power noted that the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) is closer in features to the indemnity plan than the Point of Service (POS) option it will replace. In fact, the out-of- network version of the PPO exactly replicates the indemnity plan. Power encouraged employees to use all options in the ISU Plan responsibly to keep costs down over the long term.

Power said the benefits office staff has developed an electronic form that lets ISU Plan users calculate the cost to them of any plan changes they may be considering. The form, available online via Access Plus, calculates benefits credits and coverage options and spells out monthly cost to employees for as many options as are considered. The enrollment period for ISU Plan users closes at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6.


Discussion topics
The council's next meeting begins at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, in the Memorial Union Pioneer Room. The noon open forum will be the council's annual luncheon and small-group discussions. Participants should bring their own lunches. Discussion topics, selected from last winter's survey of P&S employees, are:

P&S staff should contact Rex Heer, 4-6072, rex@iastate.edu, by Monday, Dec. 4, to sign up for the topic of their choice.

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Revi sed 11/16/00