By Ella Prieto, Managing and News Editor
During the student concerns section of a Gettysburg College Student Senate meeting on Sept. 18, a plethora of international students spoke up about changes to their insurance policies. This change, which they claimed was only made aware to them two months before it was enacted, forced them to pay for insurance through the college.
Dean of Students Jeff Foster was not present at this meeting to explain the College’s reasoning for the change but has since done so in an interview with The Gettysburgian. He clarified that the policy does not affect all international students, only those who have F1 Visas. However, that visa applies to the majority of international students at the College.
Foster explained that all students at Gettysburg College must have health insurance. Typically, if a student can submit documentation showing they have an alternative health insurance plan, they do not have to enroll in the College’s. Although students with an F1 Visa were submitting documentation and had alternative insurance plans, the College faced issues regarding their plans.
“We had several students last year with these [alternative] plans who were very ill and ended up with very large medical bills, and that created quite a challenge for those students,” reported Foster. “[While] the College’s plan is more expensive, it’s designed to provide comprehensive coverage at the health center and if you have to go to the hospital or a specialist. A lot of these other plans just did not have that level of coverage.”
Foster also shared that the College dealt with many students who were hesitant to get medical care because they knew they would have to pay more out-of-pocket costs, which created a barrier to care. Thus, the College looked at similar schools and decided to create a policy that requires F1 Visa students to auto-enroll in insurance plans offered by the school.
Additionally, Foster said that the decision was ultimately a College one. The main three departments involved were Financial Services, Financial Aid and College Life. Director of International Student Services Brad Lancaster gave input into this decision as well.
Foster stated that the College also developed a new partnership to keep costs down. Previously, the College had a UnitedHealthcare plan that cost $4,213 a year. Now, they have a plan through Aetna that brings costs down 17% to $3,490. Furthermore, the College realized there could still be barriers to paying this, and thus, offered one-time $500 and $2,500 credits for students who exhibited financial need.
Foster then transitioned into explaining when students were notified of the policy change and shared the emails that were sent.
Student Ratul Pradhan ’25 voicing concerns over International Students insurance plans at a Student Senate meeting. (Photo William Oehler/The Gettysburgian)
On May 17, Senior Director of Financial Services/Controller Sharon Dayhoff sent an email to all students notifying them that the policy would be changing.
“In order to ensure every international student has access to adequate U.S. health care coverage, effective for the 2023-24 academic year, all full-time matriculating students with F1 visas, will automatically be enrolled in the Gettysburg College Student Health Insurance plan,” wrote Dayhoff. “Returning students with F-1 visas will recognize auto enrollment in the College’s plan to be a change in policy.”
She also explained why the decision was made: “Gettysburg along with most of its peers have made this decision due to the lack of adequate coverage under an inbound travel plan. For Gettysburg, the change in policy ensures all of our international students have good insurance coverage, including coverage for services performed at the College’s Health Center.”
The next email was also sent by Dayhoff on July 5. This time, it was only to students with F1 Visas.
“You are receiving this email because you are an incoming student on a F-1 visa required to enroll in the College’s student health insurance plan for the 2023/2024 academic year,” stated Dayhoff. “The attached memo provides additional information regarding this requirement, who to contact and includes instructions on how to request a one-time grant of $500 to help with the cost.”
Foster added, “…our goal here is that we want our students to have comprehensive health insurance that’s going to ensure that they have access to the health care they need when they need it.”
Despite this, many students with F1 visas were upset, as illustrated by their comments at the Student Senate meeting.
Laura Leal ’25 stated, “The sudden change in the health insurance policy, adding an unexpected $3400 to international students’ costs, was handled unethically. While I recognize that other institutions nationwide have similar policies, if Gettysburg’s administration wants to do the same, such mandatory expenses should be transparently presented with tuition and room and board. These changes should apply only to the new incoming class, as it might impact a student’s decision to enroll and hinder current students from continuing their studies here.”
Foster said he recognized the frustration many students exhibited, and thus attended the Inclusion Committee of Student Senate to discuss the issues with them.
President of the Student Body Andrew Lemon ’24, who facilitated the discussion during the Inclusion Committee Meeting, spoke about how it went.
“This past week’s meeting with the Student Senate Inclusion Committee proved to be very effective in dialogue and solution. Dean Foster attended our meeting and presented a well-informed discussion on the college’s reasoning for changing to the current health insurance plan,” Lemon said. “International Students expressed their desire to have a less expensive health insurance option. While there is no guarantee for a new health insurance program in the immediate future, I am in continuous dialogue with the international students and Dean Foster to try to obtain a more cost-effective health insurance plan that mirrors peer institutions for our international students.”
Foster also attended the Student Senate meeting on Oct. 2 to give an update on the Inclusion Committee Meeting, sharing that they came to an agreement that the College did not properly communicate and consult with students before implementing the policy. Additionally, Foster and the College are working on a new, compromised plan to be utilized next year.
