UVA Class of 2012 Forum

[omg]

Hey!

Sorry if this has already been addressed, but I'm so out of the loop

I'm trying to get my loans done...How come when I click on the lenders on SIS to try to get their info, there's nothing?

I think UVA finaid is having some technical issues with SIS, and it doesn't seem likely that they're going to get anything fixed substantially until July. Someone else on this thread (can't remember who) mentioned that the UVA finaid office apparently doesn't believe Discover is a listed lender (you can, of course, choose any lender you like that participates in the federal loan program) even though it was an option back in April and May.

Ooo thanks for the info. I had a feeling you might know, YC

It looks like Discover is still on the list. Is there anywhere other than SIS where I can get info about the lenders? Or should I just wait until it gets fixed to accept my loans? Seems like that'd be pretty late...I know I'm already behind...

[showNprove]

.

[gladiator]

Hey, what's the consensus on netbooks? Anyone planning on getting one instead of a laptop to take notes, etc?

Is anyone else going to use notebooks to take notes? Or am I the only old-schooler here?

Some people do but if it's not a class with a laptop ban, it can get pretty boring at times and you'll wish you had a computer to pass the time. Sometimes it's just a long boring cold call or a useless hypothetical discussion and you're not missing anything by zoning out for a while. Very rarely do I feel I missed something because I was distracted by the computer and when it happens you can just ask someone else in the class.

[CE2JD]

Here's a comparison of Anthem's Individual KeyCare Flexible Choice plan (with the customizable options I chose) with the university's plan:


The plan period:

UVA's plan:
The plan period is FIXED from August 15 to August 15.

Anthem's plan:
You can start the annual plan whenever you want for easy overlap with your current coverage and so you can be covered by a plan that actually works in Virginia without resorting to TTT COBRA if you decide to move to C'ville well before August 15th. Anthem also has options for temporary 30, 60, 90, and 180 day coverage plans. These plans offer better coverage than COBRA but for a higher price, of course.


Pricing:

UVA's plan:
$1,976 for annual coverage. This is payable only in 1, 2, or 4 chunks throughout the year (no monthly financing available).

The Anthem plan I use for this example:
$984.


Lifetime Maximum Benefit (max that the insurance company will pay for):

UVA's plan:
$1,000,000 per condition

Anthem's plan:
$5,000,000


Out-of-Pocket Max (max that you will have to pay yearly before coinsurance kicks in):

UVA's plan:
$1,500

Anthem's plan:
$5,000


How much you pay after your deductible:

UVA's plan:
For primary care visits and emergency room visits:
10% (AND THIS IS ONLY IF THE CHARGE IS "REASONABLE" BY AETNA'S DEFINITION! If it isn't, then you pay even more!)

Chiropractic / substance abuse related things:
30% for non-preferred providers
10% for preferred

Basically everything else:
30% for non-preferred providers
20% for preferred

Anthem:
You pay nothing after your deductible.


Maternity:

UVA's plan:
Covered just like any other sickness (read: you will have to pay a percentage of everything after your deductible!!)

Anthem's plan:
$142 per month covers 100% of your expenses as long as you conceive at least 6 months after your policy starts. No exceptions. No coinsurance.

[YCrevolution]

..

[YCrevolution]

..

[geoffree]

Here's a comparison of Anthem's Individual KeyCare Flexible Choice plan (with the customizable options I chose) with the university's plan:


The plan period:

UVA's plan:
The plan period is FIXED from August 15 to August 15.

Anthem's plan:
You can start the annual plan whenever you want for easy overlap with your current coverage and so you can be covered by a plan that actually works in Virginia without resorting to TTT COBRA if you decide to move to C'ville well before August 15th. Anthem also has options for temporary 30, 60, 90, and 180 day coverage plans. These plans offer better coverage than COBRA but for a higher price, of course.


Pricing:

UVA's plan:
$1,976 for annual coverage. This is payable only in 1, 2, or 4 chunks throughout the year (no monthly financing available).

The Anthem plan I use for this example:
$984.


Lifetime Maximum Benefit (max that the insurance company will pay for):

UVA's plan:
$1,000,000 per condition

Anthem's plan:
$5,000,000


Out-of-Pocket Max (max that you will have to pay yearly before coinsurance kicks in):

UVA's plan:
$1,500

Anthem's plan:
$5,000


How much you pay after your deductible:

UVA's plan:
For primary care visits and emergency room visits:
10% (AND THIS IS ONLY IF THE CHARGE IS "REASONABLE" BY AETNA'S DEFINITION! If it isn't, then you pay even more!)

Chiropractic / substance abuse related things:
30% for non-preferred providers
10% for preferred

Basically everything else:
30% for non-preferred providers
20% for preferred

Anthem:
You pay nothing after your deductible.


Maternity:

UVA's plan:
Covered just like any other sickness (read: you will have to pay a percentage of everything after your deductible!!)

Anthem's plan:
$142 per month covers 100% of your expenses as long as you conceive at least 6 months after your policy starts. No exceptions. No coinsurance.

Thanks for this comparison CE!

So, if you pay nothing after the deductible with Anthem, where does co-pay come into play, before the deductible kicks in? I thought co-pay was for after the deductible... guess I was wrong?

With Anthem you have to have conceived at least 6 moths AFTER your policy starts? That's pretty crappy. No coverage for maternity whatsoever if it happens before then?

[CE2JD]

Thanks for this comparison CE!

So, if you pay nothing after the deductible with Anthem, where does co-pay come into play, before the deductible kicks in? I thought co-pay was for after the deductible... guess I was wrong?

With Anthem you have to have conceived at least 6 moths AFTER your policy starts? That's pretty crappy. No coverage for maternity whatsoever if it happens before then?

Sorry, I wasn't clear. You DO pay a copay for doctor visits with Anthem. The difference is, not only do you pay a copay for doctor visits outside the student health center with UVA's plan, but you ALSO pay a certain percentage (at least 10) of however much the care you receive costs. This could be very expensive if the health center doesn't meet all of your needs.

The coverage only starting after 6 months for maternity does kind of suck. But at least Anthem pays for everything. UVA's plan still charges you a percentage of your pregnancy-related charges which could end up being a TON of money.

[showNprove]

.

[iamjikem]

Doctor's visits are covered BEFORE your deductible with the Anthem Individual KeyCare Flexible Choice plan. So having a $5000 deductible doesn't hurt you, unless you need to be hospitalized or something in which case you are probably going to pay more with the Aetna plan's 20% coinsurance than you'd pay with the $5000 deductible.

The only REAL advantage that I see with the university plan is access to the student health facility. But if you have to go somewhere besides the Elson health center to see a specialist, you get screwed out of a certain percentage of the cost whereas with the Anthem KeyCare plans you only pay a copay. Also, this isn't really an advantage considering you could go to any doctor with the Anthem PPO coverage for just a small copay ($20 for primary care, $30 for specialist).

I thought I read somewhere that students have access to the health center, whether they have the school-sponsored health plan or not. This wouldn't help out with non-student spouses, but it's at least something. Did anybody else remember seeing this anywhere? The best I could find was this: http://www.virginia.edu/studenthealth/services.html

But it states that all students will have access to the health center who pay a certain student fee with their tuition. Will we get to pick and choose which student fees we pay? At my undergrad, everybody paid all the same fees based on credit hours and if you didn't take advantage of part of those fees (i.e. sports games), that was your loss. Anybody know any details about either elective fees or about universal student health center access?

[mijahe]

Hey, what's the consensus on netbooks? Anyone planning on getting one instead of a laptop to take notes, etc?

I've never used it for class since it's somewhat new, but I have an Asus netbook and love it. It's much easier to carry around than my larger Toshiba, has a better battery life, and runs much quicker. And they're really cheap. Most people simply pay way too much for computing power they don't need, I think.

That said, there are downsides. No CD or DVD drive, but you could buy an external one. I also believe the resolution is smaller than what you need for Microsoft Office, although I've heard it will still work. (You also would need to at least borrow an external cd/dvd drive to install office, or pay to download it from Microsoft, which would be more expensive than what you could get at the UVA story. I do think there's a $50 Ultimate Student version that everything you can download from Microsoft, though, so it's not that big a deal.) You could also not use office and just use OpenOffice or Google Docs for free.

[napolnic]

Hey, what's the consensus on netbooks? Anyone planning on getting one instead of a laptop to take notes, etc?

I didn't use any kind of computer in class during undergrad, but I bought a netbook for lawschool. The one I went with was the Samsung N120 due to the larger (for netbooks) keyboard size, which was a major concern of mine.

As for having no external drive, I still have my desktop and I use that to burn images of CDs I need for installation and then use Daemon Tools to mount a virtual drive on my netbook.

[CE2JD]

Utilizing ServicesWithin the Elson Student Health Center

You are eligible to utilize Elson Student Health Center if you are a registered domestic or
international student who pays the Comprehensive Student Activity Fee that includes the Student
Health Fee. It is in the student’s best interest to first seek treatment for Injuries and illness at
Student Health (except for treatment of an emergency medical condition).
The Elson Student Health Center is open during the academic year Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. till
5:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. for urgent care. By utilizing the services provided
by Student Health, medical care can be better coordinated, medical cost will be contained, and
health insurance premiums can be kept at reasonable rates. For more information regarding these
services, please refer to the University’s web page at: http://www.virginia.edu/studenthealth.

Elson Student Health Center Services

Student Health professional services are covered by your student activity fee. This means there is
no charge for your visit with a Student Health provider (e.g., Physician, nurse practitioner, mental
health clinician, or health educator).
Unless otherwise noted, ancillary services (e.g., lab tests and X-rays) received at Student Health
or ordered by a Student Health provider will be covered at 100% without application of a Co-pay
or Deductible.
Ancillary Services provided at Student Health include, but are not limited to:
• Immunizations
• Injectable Medications (except contraceptives, which are covered under the Student Health
Insurance Plan)
• Medical Supplies and Services
• Laboratory Tests

What is this "student activity fee," how much is it, and why would you get the UVA health insurance plan if you pay this fee???

[napolnic]

Utilizing ServicesWithin the Elson Student Health Center

You are eligible to utilize Elson Student Health Center if you are a registered domestic or
international student who pays the Comprehensive Student Activity Fee that includes the Student
Health Fee. It is in the student’s best interest to first seek treatment for Injuries and illness at
Student Health (except for treatment of an emergency medical condition).
The Elson Student Health Center is open during the academic year Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. till
5:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. for urgent care. By utilizing the services provided
by Student Health, medical care can be better coordinated, medical cost will be contained, and
health insurance premiums can be kept at reasonable rates. For more information regarding these
services, please refer to the University’s web page at: http://www.virginia.edu/studenthealth.

Elson Student Health Center Services

Student Health professional services are covered by your student activity fee. This means there is
no charge for your visit with a Student Health provider (e.g., Physician, nurse practitioner, mental
health clinician, or health educator).
Unless otherwise noted, ancillary services (e.g., lab tests and X-rays) received at Student Health
or ordered by a Student Health provider will be covered at 100% without application of a Co-pay
or Deductible.
Ancillary Services provided at Student Health include, but are not limited to:
• Immunizations
• Injectable Medications (except contraceptives, which are covered under the Student Health
Insurance Plan)
• Medical Supplies and Services
• Laboratory Tests

What is this "student activity fee," how much is it, and why would you get the UVA health insurance plan if you pay this fee???

I, too, have been looking for a more detailed break down of the "fees & tuition" chunk of change.

[CE2JD]

Utilizing ServicesWithin the Elson Student Health Center

You are eligible to utilize Elson Student Health Center if you are a registered domestic or
international student who pays the Comprehensive Student Activity Fee that includes the Student
Health Fee. It is in the student’s best interest to first seek treatment for Injuries and illness at
Student Health (except for treatment of an emergency medical condition).
The Elson Student Health Center is open during the academic year Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. till
5:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. for urgent care. By utilizing the services provided
by Student Health, medical care can be better coordinated, medical cost will be contained, and
health insurance premiums can be kept at reasonable rates. For more information regarding these
services, please refer to the University’s web page at: http://www.virginia.edu/studenthealth.

Elson Student Health Center Services

Student Health professional services are covered by your student activity fee. This means there is
no charge for your visit with a Student Health provider (e.g., Physician, nurse practitioner, mental
health clinician, or health educator).
Unless otherwise noted, ancillary services (e.g., lab tests and X-rays) received at Student Health
or ordered by a Student Health provider will be covered at 100% without application of a Co-pay
or Deductible.
Ancillary Services provided at Student Health include, but are not limited to:
• Immunizations
• Injectable Medications (except contraceptives, which are covered under the Student Health
Insurance Plan)
• Medical Supplies and Services
• Laboratory Tests

What is this "student activity fee," how much is it, and why would you get the UVA health insurance plan if you pay this fee???

I, too, have been looking for a more detailed break down of the "fees & tuition" chunk of change.

Okay, I just got off the phone with someone at the Elson Student Health Center and they said that all law students WHILE THEY ARE ENROLLED IN CLASSES are eligible to use the student health center FOR FREE!!!! So you won't be able to use the health center during the summer unless you pay an additional fee.

So I truly have no clue why anyone would purchase the university health plan through Aetna.

[YCrevolution]

..

[CE2JD]

Okay, I just got off the phone with someone at the Elson Student Health Center and they said that all law students WHILE THEY ARE ENROLLED IN CLASSES are eligible to use the student health center FOR FREE!!!! So you won't be able to use the health center during the summer unless you pay an additional fee.

So I truly have no clue why anyone would purchase the university health plan through Aetna.

Convenience?

What's convenient about it?

[iamjikem]

Okay, I just got off the phone with someone at the Elson Student Health Center and they said that all law students WHILE THEY ARE ENROLLED IN CLASSES are eligible to use the student health center FOR FREE!!!! So you won't be able to use the health center during the summer unless you pay an additional fee.

So I truly have no clue why anyone would purchase the university health plan through Aetna.

Convenience?

What's convenient about it?

It's convenient for those who don't want to do their research like you and the rest of us who will freeload off of your research.

Seriously, though, it really helps for someone who may not be able to get health insurance anywhere else due to a pre-existing condition.

[YCrevolution]

..

[geoffree]

Okay, I just got off the phone with someone at the Elson Student Health Center and they said that all law students WHILE THEY ARE ENROLLED IN CLASSES are eligible to use the student health center FOR FREE!!!! So you won't be able to use the health center during the summer unless you pay an additional fee.

So I truly have no clue why anyone would purchase the university health plan through Aetna.

Convenience?

What's convenient about it?

It's convenient for those who don't want to do their research like you and the rest of us who will freeload off of your research.

Seriously, though, it really helps for someone who may not be able to get health insurance anywhere else due to a pre-existing condition.

The problem is that pre-existing conditions - at least maternity - still won't be covered with the student plan (eta: unless you are already covered...which I am not). For me though, the premiums will be a good amount cheaper through the school.

[CE2JD]

Okay, I just got off the phone with someone at the Elson Student Health Center and they said that all law students WHILE THEY ARE ENROLLED IN CLASSES are eligible to use the student health center FOR FREE!!!! So you won't be able to use the health center during the summer unless you pay an additional fee.

So I truly have no clue why anyone would purchase the university health plan through Aetna.

Convenience?

What's convenient about it?

It's convenient for those who don't want to do their research like you and the rest of us who will freeload off of your research.

Seriously, though, it really helps for someone who may not be able to get health insurance anywhere else due to a pre-existing condition.

Okay.

But just because you can get the student health plan doesn't mean it will help you pay for a pre-existing condition if you had a lapse in coverage between the start of the condition and the start of your coverage under the student health plan (August 15th).

From the UVA Aetna health plan DOB:

Pre-Existing Condition:

Any Injury, Sickness, or condition that was diagnosed or treated, or would have caused a prudent
person to seek diagnosis or treatment, within 12 months prior to the Covered Person’s effective
date of insurance.
Covered Medical Expenses incurred by a Covered Person as a result of Pre-Existing Conditions
are not payable unless:
(a) The Covered Person has been continuously insured; or
(b) No charges are incurred or treatment rendered for the condition for a period of three months
while covered under this Policy; or
(c) The Covered Person has been covered under this Policy for 12 consecutive months,
whichever happens first.
However, any period of time that the person was covered by previous individual or group policies
providing hospital, medical, surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis may
be counted toward the above requirement. In order to be counted, that prior coverage must have
ended less than 63 days before the person’s coverage under the Policy took effect.

[iamjikem]

Okay.

But just because you can get the student health plan doesn't mean it will help you pay for a pre-existing condition if you had a lapse in coverage between the start of the condition and the start of your coverage under the student health plan (August 15th).

From the UVA Aetna health plan DOB:

Pre-Existing Condition:

Any Injury, Sickness, or condition that was diagnosed or treated, or would have caused a prudent
person to seek diagnosis or treatment, within 12 months prior to the Covered Person’s effective
date of insurance.
Covered Medical Expenses incurred by a Covered Person as a result of Pre-Existing Conditions
are not payable unless:
(a) The Covered Person has been continuously insured; or
(b) No charges are incurred or treatment rendered for the condition for a period of three months
while covered under this Policy; or
(c) The Covered Person has been covered under this Policy for 12 consecutive months,
whichever happens first.
However, any period of time that the person was covered by previous individual or group policies
providing hospital, medical, surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis may
be counted toward the above requirement. In order to be counted, that prior coverage must have
ended less than 63 days before the person’s coverage under the Policy took effect.

Right, but even if you have a pre-existing condition, most insurance companies won't pick you up for individual insurance. So, not only does someone with a pre-existing condition not get help with expenses related to their pre-existing condition, they don't get help with ANY health expenses.

Also, for those of us with pre-existing conditions who HAVE maintained continuous coverage or qualify in one of the other ways stated, we get health insurance that DOES cover our pre-existing condition.

[CE2JD]

Also, for those of us with pre-existing conditions who HAVE maintained continuous coverage or qualify in one of the other ways stated, we get health insurance that DOES cover our pre-existing condition.

Sure, but you could get health insurance like the Anthem plan I cited that covers pre-existing conditions for much cheaper.

[jdn012]

I would also add that anybody with a pre-existing condition will not be able to base their quotes on what is advertised or given online. Quotes will no doubt be higher if you have any pre-existing condition.

You may still be able to find cheaper insurance, it just won't be as cheap as the quote that is given to you online.

[limegreen]

I'm confused and new to this so maybe someone can help me.

I have a pre existing condition, and I'm currently using COBRA to get my Anthem plan because my insurance was through my Dad's work and he passed away last year. I have this insurance until the end of this year and I was told I need to get new insurance before it runs out and I will be fine. Is that not the case? Am I going to have a hard time getting insurance even if I get it before the COBRA runs out because of my pre existing condition?