Western Carolina University

This fall, the issue of health care costs and coverage was brought to the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate, while at the same time similar concerns were being raised at the UNC Faculty Assembly.   Here at WCU, an investigation was conducted to compare the State Health Plan (SHP) to eight other universities in our region and a Blue Cross Blue Shield private insurance plan (Table).  Health plans vary on multiple factors and are therefore difficult to compare directly; the data presented in the table below compare our 80% plan to other plans that range from 80% - 100% coverage.  The largest disparities were in costs for co-payments, deductibles, and most notably additional coverage for spouses and families.   

The SHP is funded by the state and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is contracted to manage the operation.  The SHP is different from some other universities in that WCU employees have the same plan as all other state employees including all retirees from the state.  State officials claim that on average, people of North Carolina are older and sicker than other states.  These differences are blamed for the reason why our plan is so expensive compared and why the SHP has consistently operated at a loss.

The following table is a comparison of North Carolina’s State Health Plan monthly premiums to the average of eight other universities and to an independent Blue Cross Blue Shield plan (i.e. no group rate and no contribution from the institution).  Amounts were rounded to the nearest dollar.   

The UNC Faculty Assembly passed a resolution to ask the UNC General Administration to assemble a blue ribbon panel with faculty and outside experts to study the state health plan. The panel will be asked to examine ways to make more efficient use of state resources. The Faculty Assembly also proposed forums on each campus to discuss overall compensation, including health care benefits.