By Kathleen Waterfall
BYU and the University of Utah are at it again. But this time, instead of competing in athletics, the schools competed in health care.
Compared to five other universities - Denver University, Notre Dame, Southern Methodist University, University of Southern California and, of course, the University of Utah -- BYU offers the least expensive health care when it comes to the quality of benefits and cost of coverage.
'People would ask me how BYU''s plan compared to other schools,' said Rulon Barlow, administrative director of the Student Health Center. 'My answer was always, ''I don''t know.'''
So Barlow looked to Steven L. Beckley and Associates, Inc., an independent consulting firm that specializes in university student health centers.
The consultants selected four other universities based on their mandatory insurance coverage for students and other characteristics similar to BYU. They selected the University of Utah, however, because of the unwavering competition between the two rival schools.
The consultants conducted the survey of the six universities based on rates for a single student.
The BYU plan cost $6.40 for each unit of benefit provided. The other plans had an average cost of $9.70 per benefit. BYU''s plan cost half as much per unit of benefit than the University of Utah plan, which cost $12.90 per unit of benefit.
Erma Severson, administrative assistant at the health center, said the consultants called the health center one of the premier student health centers in the country, with one of the best health plans for students.
'Most students are exposed to insurance issues for the first time and they think, ''Wow, that''s expensive,''' Barlow said. 'But you have to look at things relatively. When you compare it to other plans at other schools, we have an excellent value.'
BYU requires students to have health insurance to ensure that every student has year-round health coverage.
'You really can''t do a decent job in providing coverage and meeting the goals you have to protect people without having mandatory insurance,' Barlow said.
The American College Health Association, an organization that promotes health care on campus, issued guidelines recommending that schools make insurance a mandatory stipulation upon enrollment.
The U.S. News recently reported that 90 percent of private universities require students to be insured. However, three out of four public universities still do not make the requirement. Furthermore, even schools that require students to get insurance don''t necessarily offer adequate plans.
Generally, private universities offer better health policies than major public universities do.
While BYU is self-insured, the University of Utah structures its health plans through outside insurance companies.
'The U works through a commercial carrier, which requires them to pay more, which means rates go up for students,' Barlow said.
Kerry Hill, student insurance health manager at the University of Utah Student Health Center, confirmed the university''s affiliation with outside insurance companies.
Hill said the insurance plans offered to the school through the outside companies are required to include maternity coverage, which increases the insurance rates for students.
The BYU Health Center''s focuses on providing adequate healthcare to students, Barlow said.
'It''s really refreshing to come to the health center where our goal is to break even and provide the most insurance coverage we can, at the least cost, with the best quality. It''s just exciting,' he said.