bill 6.16

1. THE UNIVERSITY PARK UNDERGRADUATE ASSOCIATION
The Pennsylvania State University
16th Assembly
2021-2022 Session
Bill #06-16
September 8th
, 2021
Be it decided by the Assembly of Student Representatives,
having been brought to the floor by the Committee on Justice and Equity,
a
BILL
Creation of the UPUA Wellness Fund
Nature of the Situation:
1
2
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) states that, "There is increasing evidence
3
that some racial and ethnic minority groups are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
4
Inequities in the social determinants of health, such as poverty and healthcare access, affecting
5
these groups are interrelated and influence a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes
6
and risks. To achieve health equity, barriers must be removed so that everyone has a fair
7
opportunity to be as healthy as possible."1
8
9
College students remain the largest group of people who are uninsured, which is around 1.7
10
million students in 2016.2
There is also evidence that students of color have higher uninsured
11
rates compared to white students. Even though the Affordable Care Act allows people to stay on
12
their parents’ health insurance until age 26, there are still students who don’t benefit from that.
13
Many adult learners in colleges are above the age of 26 and that limits their ability to have
14
insurance through their parents’ plans. There is also evidence that those states which did not
15
expand their Medicaid programs have a higher number of uninsured students.
16
17
Penn State does not currently have many resources for students who are uninsured. According to
18
the Student Insurance Advocate, uninsured students may be eligible for Patient Assistance
19
Programs for their medications and a sliding fee scale which is based on income.3
This
20
assistance, however, is guaranteed for all students and requires extra steps on the students’ end.
21
1
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html
2
https://www.valuepenguin.com/health-insurance-uninsured-students
3
https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/insurance-advocate

2. 22
Looking at general demographic data, about 93 percent of white undergraduate students at both
23
public and private institutions were insured in 2016. For Hispanic students and black students,
24
the insured rates were about 85 percent and 88 percent, respectively.4
Nationally, about 1 in 4
25
(22 percent) of Americans skip medical care due to the costs, which can specifically impede a
26
student’s ability to succeed in their academics and to live a healthy lifestyle. Students who avoid
27
medical treatment due to cost could eventually pay more for intensive treatment of unresolved
28
illnesses. Essentially, if medical intervention is not prescribed to commonly preventable or
29
treatable illnesses, then the cost of healthcare for the ill individual can significantly increase if
30
the illness worsens while unchecked.
31
On September 9th, 2020, the first Chair of the Justice and Equity Committee, Najee Rodriguez,
32
contacted the previous Director of the University Health Services (UHS) during the first attempt
33
to implement a program that would provide vouchers for physicals and prescriptions for students
34
to alleviate health inequity. Due to legal misinterpretation, the project was initially rejected.
35
There was a concern that it would be a legal issue if the physician did not continue care from the
36
moment of in-take. However, after external consultation with legal counsel, it was decided that
37
there would be no legal implications with the program and students absolutely can be afforded
38
the right to take advantage of the program on a case-by-case basis.5
39
40
Given the introduction of the new UHS Director who was appointed in early 2021, Dr. Micah
41
Griffin, the project was revitalized. With the revitalization of the project, a team at the UHS was
42
assembled: Natahsha Baumgartner (Student Insurance Advocate), Kara Krebs (Clinic Case
43
Manager), and Najee Rodriguez (UPUA Vice President). After months of work and collaboration
44
between the UHS Financial Services Office, the Office of Student Care & Advocacy, the Office
45
of Student Aid, and members of the UPUA’s Justice and Equity Committee, a logistical plan was
46
conceptualized to provide full coverage of all the services that the UHS provides for students
47
who are uninsured and/or have high co-pays and deductibles that their insurance cannot cover;
48
and for those students who cannot cover those additional costs by themselves. The Wellness
49
Fund will cover every billable item on the UHS’s financial docket with the exception of
50
pharmacy charges, ambulance charges, lab work sent to Quest Diagnostics (in certain cases as
51
decided upon by Case Management), and no-show fees. Appendix B details the different costs
52
and services that the Wellness Fund will cover, negating the exceptions.
53
54
Front End Logistics (Scheduling and Case Management):
55
● Students selecting the Wellness Fund option will be routed to information about the
56
UPUA Wellness fund and subsequently to a 15 min Case Management Phone appt for
57
further info. Case Management (CM) will speak with the student and schedule the
58
appointment. Students who call in and are uninsured or voice concerns about payment
59
can be given info about the UPUA Wellness Fund by Patient Services and routed to the
60
CM phone appointment.
61
4
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/03/30/obamacare-has-led-fewer-uninsured-students-
study-finds
5
https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2101736/hannis-v-ashland-state-gen-hosp/

3. ● Case Management will put any tickets on hold, depending on the student’s insurance. In
62
some cases, the bill may be sent to insurance and any unpaid amount is to be covered by
63
the UPUA fund. The UPUA will cover any cost or service not covered by insurance
64
including deductibles/co-pays/co-insurance, etc.
65
● All Wellness Fund uses will be kept track in a spreadsheet managed by Case
66
Management and Financial Services within UHS.
67
● An after-visit survey will be sent to students to gather information that Case Management
68
or UPUA would like to have prior to the visit.
69
70
Back End Logistics (Financial Services and Case Management):
71
● The fund will be managed by Case Management. Financial Services will invoice the
72
fund. The Shared Spreadsheet will also contain financial information, so all entities
73
involved can be aware of the fund status.
74
● Financial Services will also have the opportunity to refer students to the fund when they
75
call in on the back end about the charges and inability to pay.
76
● Student Care and Advocacy will be in communication with the Bursar’s Office to relay
77
information regarding the use of the Wellness Fund and all bills should be removed after
78
this communication.
79
80
Additional Updates:
81
● The Wellness Fund will be able to receive a direct bill from Quest Diagnostics to cover
82
any service.
83
● All students will be eligible for consideration for the Wellness Fund.
84
● The Wellness Fund will cover Driver’s License Physicals, Work Physicals, etc.
85
● The Wellness Fund will not cover no-shows.
86
87
Submitted Waiver Statistics:
88
• 41,105 waivers submitted
89
• 26,772 had active coverage, but equivalent coverage was not verified (number includes
90
782 covered by out-of-state Medicaid)
91
• 1,333 were denied for no active coverage (number includes 475 who confirmed directly
92
they had no coverage)
93
• 11,883 did not provide enough information to verify coverage
94
• 1,117 had military coverage
95
• 19,121 did not take any action
96
97
With consultation with Student Care & Advocacy and the UHS, 782 students were completely
98
uninsured due to their out-of-state Medicaid that they could not translate into the Commonwealth
99
of Pennsylvania. 1,333 students were denied due to a lack of coverage, meaning their insurance
100
expired. Student Care & Advocacy was able to confirm that 475 students had no active coverage,
101
but were not able to confirm with the others listed. There were 11,883 students who did not
102
provide enough information, and there was an inability to identify the status of their insurance.
103
However, Student Care & Advocacy predicts that a large plurality were uninsured or had a lack
104
of insurance in which they avoided UHS and utilized external providers.
105
106

4. There is irrefutable evidence of health inequity that permeates the University Park campus, and
107
there is a need for a clear solution to help address it.
108
109
110
Recommended Course of Action:
111
112
The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) on behalf of the undergraduate student
113
body at University Park, shall fund the UPUA Wellness Fund in the amount of $10,000.00 to be
114
deposited in a UHS account. The UPUA will ensure the fulfillment of health equity for all
115
students who may need it, by providing a lump sum to be placed in an account monitored by the
116
University Health Services’s Financial Services Office. The UPUA recognizes the importance of
117
realizing health equity on campus, for all students, regardless of background, and commits to
118
working on eliminating health inequity.
119
120
By championing this pilot program, statistics will be collected on the utilization of the Wellness
121
Fund and there will be evaluation on the most sustainable step forward for the permanent
122
institutionalization of the program. If decided upon by the Assembly, the fund may be
123
replenished during the 2021-2022 fiscal year dependent on utilization and exhaustion of funds.
124
125
Additionally, the Department of Public Relations is hereby charged with collaborating with
126
Student Affairs on publishing a page on the Student Affairs website that is detailed in Appendix
127
A. Furthermore, the Department of Public Relations will be charged with disseminating the
128
marketing materials marked in Appendix C. Concurrently, there will be the organization of a
129
“UPUA Wellness Fund Launch Party” in the 008 HUB Lounge at 6:00 PM EST - 7:00 PM EST
130
on September 15th that will invite students and administrators to learn more about the program.
131
The Department will also be responsible for organizing and disseminating the information
132
relevant to promoting this program through all appropriate channels.
133
134
The UPUA will fund catering for the event from Panera Bread for a cost of $1,350.00, to provide
135
dinners for students and administrative guests during the reception. The UPUA will also
136
supplement a temporary marketing budget of $600.00 for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, in
137
conjunction with the UHS and Student Affairs.
138
139
UPUA Wellness Fund
140
Item Cost Quantity Total
Wellness Fund $10,000.00 1 $10,000.00
Panera Catering for Wellness Fund
Launch Party
$1,350.00 1 $1,350.00
Wellness Fund Marketing Material $600.00 1 $600.00
Total $11,950.00
141
Amount remaining in Type-40: $132,780.17
142
143

5. 144
Special Acknowledgement to Najee Rodriguez, Vice President of the UPUA
145
Respectfully submitted,
Aarathi Kallur
APIDA Caucus Representative
Chair of the Justice and Equity
Sydney Gibbard
College of Engineering Representative
Speaker of the Assembly
Committee Vote: 10/0/0
Assembly Vote: 32/0/0
Speaker of the Assembly ________________________________________________
President of the Student Body ________________________________________________
The University Park Undergraduate Association

6. Appendix A

8. Appendix B

10. Appendix C