Important Healthcare Information, Healthcare GMM, & More!
Table of Contents:
Announcements
Graduate Student and Graduate Worker Health Insurance
Graduate students at UIUC pay for two types of healthcare. The Health Service Fee covers the primary medical services at the McKinley Health Center on campus (1109 S. Lincoln Ave, U.) and supplies funding for the University’s Counseling Center. Graduate students also receive subsidized coverage through United Healthcare for more serious or specialized services that McKinley is unable to cover. If you are a TA/GA, the University will pay 87% per semester of the Student Health Insurance Fee as well as 100% of the Health Service Fee per the GEO contract. Here you can find the Graduate Student Plan Brochure.
It’s important to note that you may have to opt in to United Healthcare in order to access your health insurance for yourself as well as for your dependents. If you have not done so already, you can do this by visiting https://si.illinois.edu, clicking on the “Forms” tab, selecting “Enrollment,” selecting the “Opt In” option, and then verifying your information. The enrollment deadline for Spring 2021 is March 5, 2021.
Prescription Information
The formulary at McKinley is reasonably good and provides some discounted products, though they now charge a minimum for all prescriptions (some drugs were previously distributed free of charge)—many drugs continue to cost substantially more, especially drugs related to women’s health. In regards to finding the best price for your more expensive prescriptions, there are several resources available we recommend:
OptumRx has a prescription look-up and price compare function available through United Healthcare (requires insurance information)
GoodRx provides a prescription look-up function along with coupons for various prescriptions.
Dependent Health Insurance
If a family member or loved one is not eligible for their own insurance, you are allowed to enroll them as a dependent through your University health insurance plan. If you are a TA/GA, the University will pay 25% of the cost of the premium for the coverage of one (1) dependent of the covered graduate employee when dependent coverage is elected. This is also extended to RAs/PGAs.
What the process is supposed to be:
In order to enroll your dependent in this coverage, visit https://si.illinois.edu, click on the “Forms” tab, select “Enrollment,” select the “Opt In” option, and then verify your information. As a reminder, the enrollment deadline for Spring 2021 is March 5, 2021. In order to receive the subsidy, you must first pay the full cost up front, then once the enrollment period ends you will see a reimbursement on your student account.
A member’s experience who is currently on fellowship:
The current graduate student has to sign up for insurance first, using the enrollment portal the Student Insurance Office provides.
As soon as possible after that, the student should upload their dependent eligibility documents to the portal on the Student Insurance Office website. (The easiest way to find/access these pages is through the FAQ, under the “Adding Dependents” tab
The cost of the student's insurance plan and any credit/waiver provided by a fellowship appointment will all be directly applied to the student's bill. In this student’s case, this means UHC billed the school for their health plan, the school billed their account for the cost of that plan, and the Fellowship Office applied the fellowship coverage to that charge. They are responsible to pay the remaining balance on or before the student bill due date.
Every Monday and Friday the Student Insurance Office sends approved dependent eligibility documents to UHC for processing.
About four business days after UHC receives those approved documents, UHC sends the student an email with a link to pay the balance for their dependents' insurance. This has to be paid for with a credit or debit card, or direct bank withdrawal. It cannot go on the student's general account.
If any portion of their dependents' insurance fees are covered by a fellowship appointment or waiver, that reimbursement will be direct-deposited into the graduate student's bank account (the one used by Payroll) within a few weeks of add/drop.
The health plan is supposed to be retroactive. So if, for example, the health plan runs 8/22-1/21, and the dependent needs medical care on 8/24, but their enrollment wasn't finished until 8/26, UHC will cover those expenses, because the event falls within the period of coverage the student has paid for. Or at least they should, in theory.
Dental and Vision Plans
UIUC provides dental insurance through Delta Dental of Illinois for all graduate students. For graduate students with waiver-generating appointments, Delta Dental is available at no additional cost. Per the GEO Contract, the University Administration covers the cost of Dental and Vision insurance for TAs and GAs. To see if your appointment qualifies, check the Graduate College Handbook. For all other graduate students, Delta Dental is available with an annual premium. Graduate students may also enroll dependents for coverage during the predetermined enrollment periods.
Plan information for teaching assistants and fellows can be found in this plan brochure while plan information for graduate students who are not assistants or fellows can be found in this plan brochure. All other Delta Dental information (such as coverage details, participating dentists, and claim forms) can be found at www.deltadentalil.com.
Along with dental insurance, UIUC also provides vision insurance through EyeMed Vision Care for all graduate students. For graduate students with waiver-generating appointments, EyeMed Vision Care is available at no additional cost. To see if your appointment qualifies, check the Graduate College Handbook. For all other graduate students, EyeMed Vision Care is available with an annual premium. Graduate students may also enroll dependents for coverage during the predetermined enrollment periods.
Plan information for teaching assistants and fellows can be found in this plan brochure while plan information for graduate students who are not assistants or fellows can be found in this plan brochure. Local participating providers can be found at http://www.eyemedvisioncare.com.
COVID-19 Testing Exemption
Though GEO considers testing an essential component for COVID-19 risk management, we recognize that in-person requirements such as testing are not feasible for everyone in our campus community for a variety of reasons. To apply for a testing exemption for the Spring 2021 semester, visit go.illinois.edu/CovidExemption and enter the requested information. If you received an exemption for the Fall 2020 semester, you still need to submit another exemption request.
On the COVID-19 testing dashboard, the University states that “exemptions will be given out rarely and only to students who can demonstrate that participating in the testing program is especially burdensome to them.” However, if you were denied an exemption and feel as though you meet the necessary requirements, please fill out this short survey.
Vaccine Distribution
Effective February 1, 2021, the Illinois Department of Public Health and CU Public Health announced that vaccines are now available to essential frontline workers along with medical workers, first responders, those with similar occupations, and people aged 65+ living in Champaign County. A complete list of essential frontline workers can be found in this announcement.
In a letter from the Chancellor on January 29, 2021, we also learned that select in-person higher education employees were eligible for vaccination. GEO is hopeful that employees not included on this list, such as remote University employees, will be eligible next. However, because the University does not control the timeline nor the order of who receives the vaccine, we ask that you continue to visit the University’s COVID-19 vaccination page as well as CU Public Health for updated information. And as always, be on the lookout for an email from the University regarding your vaccination status and timeline.
Hospital Financial Assistance Programs
Did you know that you may be eligible for financial assistance for medical care, even if you are insured? If your annual household income is less than or equal to 400% of the federal poverty line, you could be receiving care at a reduced cost. Both Carle Foundation Hospital and OSF (the two main hospitals in Champaign-Urbana) have assistance programs. If you are a household of one, you qualify if you made less than $51,000 last year. If you are a household of two, you qualify if you made less than $68,960 last year. You can get more information and apply at the Carle Financial Assistance and the OSF Financial Assistance site.
Community Resources
Champaign County Health Care Consumers is a local non-profit helping individuals and families access health care. They can help you determine what you are eligible for and walk you through the application process at no charge. To request assistance, contact cchcc@cchcc-il.org or call (217) 352-6533.
They also have compiled resources for local healthcare, including Prescription Assistance, Low Cost Dental Care, Dental Emergencies, and Affordable Mental and Behavioral Health Services. You can find these and more resource guides in English and Spanish at https://healthcareconsumers.org.
Solcomm Updates and Actions
The GEO Enthusiastically Endorses adopting the Belted Kingfisher as UIUC’s new mascot: The GEO is an organization that works to promote a safe and equitable work environment for all of our members, and standing for workers rights necessarily entails standing against racism and all forms of bigotry. We believe adopting a new mascot will help promote such an environment for our Indigenous peers and community members. The University is long overdue to adopt a mascot that aligns with the principles it professes to value and substantively address its history of racist mascotry. Read our full endorsement here. Follow the Kingfisher on Twitter and Facebook.
GEO Expresses Solidarity with University of New Mexico Grad Workers United: Graduate workers at the University of New Mexico recently voted overwhelmingly to form a union to organize for better working conditions. Unsurprisingly, the UNM administration is relying on old union-busting tactics, claiming grad workers are not “regular employees” and are refusing to recognize the right of their workers to collectively bargain. This is similar to the argument UIUC administration used when GEO was fighting for legal recognition in the early 2000s. GEO stands in solidarity with grad workers at the University of New Mexico, and demands the UNM administration immediately recognize their union. See our full statement here, and sign UNM Grad Workers United petition in support of their unionization effort.
ACTION (2-5 minutes): Write a letter to Governor Pritzker demanding he sign the Pretrial Fairness Act. The Illinois General Assembly recently passed the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA). This historic piece of legislation will effectively end money bond and forms of wealth based pretrial incarceration in Illinois--the first state in the U.S. to do so. However, Pritzker still needs to sign the bill into law, and is facing significant pressure from cops, corporate interests, and republicans to veto it. Follow the link above to write an original letter to the governor or send a pre-generated template. The Coalition to End Money Bond will also be holding two virtual actions to defend the PFA which you can register for here.
Events and Points of Interest
Support GEO Member Ivor Chen
Third-year international PhD student Yidong “Ivor” Chen is being unfairly dismissed from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for COVID-19 testing non-compliance while he and his mother sheltered in place. Ivor’s VISA status is now being revoked, and he and his mother are being forced to leave the country during a deadly pandemic. Ivor has appealed this disciplinary decision with the support of his department, the Dean of his college, and the GEO, and his appeal has been callously denied.
Please read and sign this petition in support of Ivor Chen
Further actions in support of Ivor will be announced in the coming days.
GMM on Healthcare + GEO Social Hour
Thursday, Feb. 18, 5:30-7:30pm CST
Join us for our first GMM of the semester on Thursday, February 18th! In the first hour of this event, we'll talk about important healthcare updates on campus and chat about grad experiences with healthcare as well. GEO's COVID-19 Impact Bargaining Team will also providing updates on their ongoing negotiations with UIUC admin. The second hour of the GMM will be a social hour, so feel free to stick around and chat with fellow graduate workers. RSVP at tinyurl.com/HealthCareGMM. Looking forward to seeing you at 5.30p CST! Join the Facebook event here!
P.S.—GMMs are GEO member exclusive, so if you’re not yet a member, you can fill out a membership card.
Image description: Black and white illustrations of stethoscopes, syringes, bandits, hearts, and pill capsules appear in the top banner. The central text of the flyer reads, "Join GEO for a Healthcare GMM & Social Hour” in yellow and black text. Below, in yellow text, is mention of the event’s time and date: Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. 5:30-6:30 pm CST. The black descriptive text underneath reads “For the first hour, we will be hearing updates from the COVID-19 Impact Bargaining team, grad worker experiences with healthcare on campus, and other important healthcare updates!” A yellow party-style banner appears in the lower left-hand corner with flags draped from it. Within, black text reads “Post-GMM social hour. 6:30-7:30 pm.” A QR code and TinyURL, both of which link to the GMM event registration page, are in the lower right-hand corner. The link reads TinyURL.com/HealthCareGMM. There are two small cartoon GEO masks below the registration information.
Yoga with Lila: GEO Skill-sharing
Friday, Feb. 19, 5:30-6:30pm CST
Get excited for GEO community skill-sharing! We want to organize a digital space to allow graduate students (GEO members and non-members) to connect. The idea is to bring people together by sharing our skills and interests, recruit new members to join the union, and engage existing members by experimenting pandemic-appropriate spaces to engage with each other.
What skill or interest do you have to share? Let us know here, and check out the upcoming events below!
Yoga with Lila: Friday, Feb. 19 5:30-6:30pm CST
Focus will be on releasing tension in hips and shoulders that grads tend to accumulate, appropriate for first-timers, and perfect to start a Friday night in mid February.
Upcoming events to look forward to:
Hand lettering with Ellie
Quantum Teleportation with Kai
Slow Intro to R with Liran
Image Description: A cream-yellow flyer with black text reading: “GEO skill share, hang outs, & webinars”. In a red box, black text reads “Yoga with Lila*. *All levels welcome! Friday 2/19 5:30 PM RSVP for link”. An arrow points to a QR code and there is an image of a woman with dark hair and red clothes doing yoga. To the right, there is an orange box with cream-yellow text that reads, “Upcoming events: Hand lettering with Ellie, Intro to R with Liran, Quantum Teleportation with Kai”. In the bottom right corner is black text that reads, “Have an idea for another event? LET US KNOW!”
Teach In: “870million ≠ Austerity”
Monday, Feb. 22 5:00pm-6:30pm CST
Why is the University discussing 5% to 15% in budget cuts when it has nearly 870 million dollars in reserves? In the “People First, Cancel Debt” Committee we believe in creating a University that puts “People First” and this teach-in is our first step to do it!
Register for this event and check out the Facebook event!
Image description: A green flyer with yellow text reading: “$870 Million ≠ Austerity Monday, Feb. 22, 2021 5:00-6:30pm CST. UIUC has 870million dollars in reserves, but insists in perpetuating austerity! Join the “People First, Cancel Debt” Committee for a teach-in on UIUC’s debt, how it intersects with racism and policing, and how can we create University that puts #PeopleFirst.” This flyer includes a register link: tinyurl.com/CancelDebtTeachIn as well as an image of a hand holding a money bag, a monopoly millionaire, and a picture of burning money.
Building Transnational Solidarity with GEO and Garment Workers Trade Union
(Rescheduled event Date/Time TBD)
The GEO Solidarity Committee will still be hosting a conversation between our members and organizers with the Garment Workers Trade Union (GWTU) based in Dhaka, Bangladesh (See previous GEO-L for more details). We had to postpone the conversation due to technical difficulties faced by GWTU organizers, but it will be rescheduled soon. You can still register for the event here. We will notify all those who registered for the event with the new date and time. Email the Solidarity Committee, solcomm@uigeo.org, with any questions or concerns.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org