The 2007-2008 academic year marked the initiation of a new health insurance plan for graduate students.  Under the provisions of the new plan, approximately 80% of The Graduate School's (TGS) students (master's and doctoral) saw their health costs decrease.  Some 20% of our doctoral students saw a small rise in costs, which were typically covered by the overall increase in stipend levels (2.5%).  In order to fund the changes in the health care plan, TGS injected an additional $1 million into the subsidy system, bringing the total cost of graduate student health insurance subsidization to approximately $3.1 million.

During the 2006-2007 academic year, all Graduate School students fell into one of six categories.  Students in some programs received a health insurance subsidy equal to 50% of the basic healthcare plan cost while students in other programs received a subsidy equal to 65% of the basic plan cost.  Students in either category had the option of paying for the remaining costs of the basic plan (either 50% or 35%) or upgrading to a zero-deductible (comprehensive) plan.  The main innovation for this year is that we eliminated the option of the zero-deductible plan, and now provide students with a uniform plan with a maximum deductible of $1000. 

Furthermore, and perhaps most critically, all doctoral students who received a 65% health insurance subsidy from TGS during the 2006-2007 academic year received a 100% subsidy in 2007-2008.  All doctoral students who received 50% health insurance subsidy from TGS last year, received 50% from TGS in 2007-2008  and the remaining 50% from their programs or principal investigators (either by paying students stipends above the university base or direct-charging the costs).  For a list of 100%, 65% and 50% programs from this year, please visit: www.tgs.northwestern.edu/studentlife/health/insuranceinfo/departmentlist/

We recognize that there was some concern, on the part of students, about the elimination of the two-tier plan and would like to explain the main reasons we chose to move to a uniform plan.  Most obviously, the new plan improves the financial situation of 80% of TGS students.  Furthermore, the new plan protects the most vulnerable members of the TGS population (the chronically ill and those who have a single, expensive healthcare event, such as the birth of a child) because it lowers the maximum health care costs in a given year for practically all members of the TGS community.  Finally, the plan is sustainable in the long term, which was not the case with any of the two-tier plans that were proposed.

In order to see how your health care costs in 2007-2008 will likely compare to those in 2006-2007, please choose the category in which you found yourself last year and visit the web site that provides information on your change in costs for academic year 2007-2008.

1. Doctoral or master's students who were at 50% subsidy and chose the basic plan
2. Doctoral or master's students who were at 50% subsidy and chose the comprehensive plan.
3. Doctoral students who were at 65% subsidy and chose the basic plan.
4. Doctoral students who were at 65% subsidy and chose the comprehensive plan.
5. Master's students who were at 65% subsidy and chose the basic plan.
6. Master's students who were at 65% subsidy and chose the comprehensive plan.

The cost of the new health insurance plan  is available on the "Health Insurance" page of the TGS website.   In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns about the information presented above and via our web site, by all means contact us at TGS.