The year’s first Graduate Student Association town hall
meeting gave graduate students a chance to convey their
health-related concerns directly to services directors, but few
showed up to take advantage of the event.
The low attendance ““ no more than a handful of students
““ Tuesday is likely due to the failure of some association
leaders to properly notify their constituents, said Mike Morandian,
GSA director of information and research.
Morandian said the low turnout could “simply be because
students are already satisfied with the services.”
In response, GSA cabinet members will be discussing alternatives
to better publicize future town hall meetings, he said.
For students who did show up at the meeting, health officials
addressed issues regarding the extent of the Graduate Student
Health Insurance Plan’s coverage and how to deal with
emergency situations.
At the campus’ Arthur Ashe Health and Wellness Center,
GSHIP covers most medical expenses, excluding 10 percent of each
visit’s total costs and an initial $250 deductible at the
first visit.
But because GSHIP is primarily directed toward services at the
Ashe Center, some students are uncertain as to where they should go
during off-hours.
Many graduate students not living near UCLA medical facilities
do not know if their insurance will cover expenses at other
hospitals, said Jameal Samhouri, a first-year organismic biology,
ecology and evolution graduate student.
The answer: in an emergency, a student can seek medical care at
any hospital and still be covered by GSHIP, said Michele Pearson,
director of ancillary services at the Ashe Center.
Students can also receive benefits out-of-area either by
presenting their insurance card to the medical facility or sending
copies of the bill to the insurance center at the Ashe Center.
However, in a non-emergency within fifty miles of campus, a
student needs to seek care at UCLA medical facilities or provide
reasons why they are not able to do so.
The concern for students then becomes distinguishing between an
emergency and a non-emergency situation.
“An emergency is something that’s life-threatening,
as when someone’s bleeding out or having trouble
breathing,” Pearson said.
However, students who do not understand their condition and are
afraid can also be considered emergencies, she added.
The Ashe Center is now working to find ways to make this
information more available to students, said Albert Setton, deputy
assistant vice chancellor in the Ashe Center.
In addition, Ashe Center officials emphasized the option of a
health insurance plan extension available to students traveling
abroad.
“We realize that graduate students are often out in the
field and we want them to be aware of what’s
available,” Pearson said.
Also, the Ashe Center conducted a survey last spring to assess
the frequency and satisfaction of graduate students who visited the
center.
Over 80 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with
the services provided, said Pamela Viele, director of health
education at the Ashe Center.
She added that women were over-represented in the survey, but
that was because they typically use the services more
frequently.