Committees form to address staff, faculty healthcare concerns
by Emma Tucker | Llama Ledger Staff
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News
An ongoing issue on campus has been the high costs of Health Insurance for faculty and staff, and concern has been expressed. The issue was addressed at the Board of Overseers meeting that occurred on March 8. The Llama Ledger reported that Provost Mary Marcy is planning on forming a committee to address these concerns.
Simon's Rock currently provides Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield Medical Insurance, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance and long-term disability insurance. "Individuals don't contribute anything," said Marcy, and the college pays around $900,000 a year to provide the insurance for full time, benefit eligible employees.
The problem, according to Director of Administration and Finance at Simon's Rock Jon MacClaren, is that when an employee wants to add a spouse or partner to their insurance plan, they have to pay $450 per month. When a family is added, it costs up to $800 per month, which comes to $9,600 per year.
"Most people that have families are younger," said Marcy. And, because they haven't been working as long, their salaries are smaller, which can make paying for the insurance incredibly difficult.
This possible financial burden can sometimes have an impact on hiring prospects, MacClaren said. "It can make a difference when accepting a position." If a person is offered more than one job, the cost of insurance is going to be a factor.
"The ability to be effective in recruiting new people depends on more than just salary," Marcy said. Benefits play a big role in this, and because Simon's Rock is in the process of hiring new staff, this could become a major problem.
There are two committees discussing the problem, the Staff Negotiating Committee, and the Faculty Negotiating Committee. They are going to "run a couple of different scenarios" Marcy said, and "decisions will be based on which is most equitable".
One option is to have everybody pay a certain percentage of their insurance, and the other is to have people pay a small percentage based on salary.
"We are going to run numbers and scenarios on both," said Marcy, and the goal is to "alleviate burdens on families".
Contact the author: etucker@llamaledger.com
Simon's Rock currently provides Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield Medical Insurance, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance and long-term disability insurance. "Individuals don't contribute anything," said Marcy, and the college pays around $900,000 a year to provide the insurance for full time, benefit eligible employees.
The problem, according to Director of Administration and Finance at Simon's Rock Jon MacClaren, is that when an employee wants to add a spouse or partner to their insurance plan, they have to pay $450 per month. When a family is added, it costs up to $800 per month, which comes to $9,600 per year.
"Most people that have families are younger," said Marcy. And, because they haven't been working as long, their salaries are smaller, which can make paying for the insurance incredibly difficult.
This possible financial burden can sometimes have an impact on hiring prospects, MacClaren said. "It can make a difference when accepting a position." If a person is offered more than one job, the cost of insurance is going to be a factor.
"The ability to be effective in recruiting new people depends on more than just salary," Marcy said. Benefits play a big role in this, and because Simon's Rock is in the process of hiring new staff, this could become a major problem.
There are two committees discussing the problem, the Staff Negotiating Committee, and the Faculty Negotiating Committee. They are going to "run a couple of different scenarios" Marcy said, and "decisions will be based on which is most equitable".
One option is to have everybody pay a certain percentage of their insurance, and the other is to have people pay a small percentage based on salary.
"We are going to run numbers and scenarios on both," said Marcy, and the goal is to "alleviate burdens on families".
Contact the author: etucker@llamaledger.com
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