Students
      April
      Cavender
     
     
      and
      Tara
      Inman
      feel
      they
      are
      not
     
     
      receiving
      what
      is
      rightfully
      theirs.
     
    

    
     
      After
      a
      UPEI
      Student
     
     
      Union
      health
      plan
      committee
      deci-
     
     
      sion,
      the
      medical
      plan
      offered
      to
     
     
      UPEI’s
      students
      was
      turned
      over
     
     
      from
      Clarica
      to
      Maritime
      Life.
      The
     
     
      new
      policy
      allows
      UPEI
      to
      join
     
     
      the
      Campus
      Trust
      amalgamation
     
     
      with
      other
      universities
      such
      as
     
     
      Western
      University,
      Acadia
     
     
      University,
      Mount
      St.
      Vincent
     
     
      University,
      and
      Memorial
     
     
      University.
     
    

    
     
      Despite
      this
      partnership,
     
     
      the
      coverage
      and
      cost
      of
      the
      policy
     
     
      remains
      unchanged.
      Further
      cover-
     
     
      age
      by
      Clarica
      would
      have
      led
      to
     
     
      an
      increase
      in
      the
      cost
      of
      the
     
     
      union’s
      premium.
     
    

    
     
      Because
      of
      the
      change
      from
     
     
      one
      company
      to
      the
      other,
      the
      pro-
     
     
      cessing
      of
      claims
      has
      been
      delayed
     
     
      until
      Maritime
      Life
      receives
      the
     
     
      complete
      list
      of
      students
      who
      are
      to
     
     
      be
      covered
      by
      their
      insurance
      poli-
     
     
      cy.
      Some
      students
      who
      rely
      on
      the
     
     
      student
      union’s
      health
      plan
      for
      pre-
     
     
      scription
      coverage
      are
      left
      without
     
     
      remedies.
     
    

    
     
      “They
      just
      need
      to
      address
     
     
      it
      [to]
      make
      sure
      there
      is
      more
      of
      an
     
     
      overlap
      [from
      one
      year’s
      coverage
     
     
      to
      the
      other],”
      said
      Cavender,
      an
     
     
      international
      student
      whose
      supply
     
     
      of
      athsma
      and
      allergy
      medications
     
     
      is
      quickly
      running
      out,
      and
      who
      has
     
     
      no
      other
      coverage.
     
    

    
     
      Cavender
      assumes
      she
      and
     
     
      Inman
      are
      probably
      not
      the
      only
     
     
      students
      who
      are
      affected
      by
      the
     
     
      change
      over.
     
    

    
     
      “T’ve
      already
      paid
      for
      that
     
     
      [coverage],”
      added
      Cavender,
     
     
      expecting
      better
      service.
     
    

    
     
      Inman,
      whose
      prescriptions
     
     
      cost
      hovers
      between
      one
      and
      two
     
     
      hundred
      dollars,
      is
      also
      affected
      by
     
     
      the
      change-over.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      went
      to
      the
      pharmacy
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pick
      up
      my
      prescription
      and
      was
     
     
      told
      that
      there
      was
      a
      problem,”
     
     
      Inman
      explained,
      “they
      said
      that
      I
     
     
      was
      not
      covered.”
     
    

    
     
      When
      Inman
      approached
     
     
      the
      union,
      and
      asked
      for
      help,
      she
     
     
      was
      told,
      “it
      was
      very
      complicat-
     
     
      ed,”
      and
      was
      offered
      two
      options:
     
     
      pay
      for
      her
      prescription
      upfront,
      or
     
     
      ask
      the
      pharmacy
      to
      delay
      the
      pro-
     
     
      cessing
      of
      her
      claim.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Neither
      of
      these
      options
     
     
      were
      available
      to
      Inman,
      she
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “[The
      union
      has]
      no
      empa-
     
     
      thy,
      no
      sympathy,”
      she
      added.
     
    

    
     
      “[Without
      my
      medication]
     
     
      my
      health
      will
      suffer,
      my
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      will
      suffer,
      and
      school
      will
     
     
      suffer,”
      explained
      Inman.
      “It
      is
     
     
      awful
      to
      have
      to
      depend
      on
      drugs,
     
     
      but
      some
      people
      need
      them
      to
     
     
      function
      normally.”
     
    

    
     
      “The
      ones
      who
      are
      opting
     
     
      out
      get
      the
      slack,”
      said
      Inman.
      “It
     
     
      is
      like
      we
      are
      being
      punished
      for
     
     
      staying
      on
      their
      medical
      plan.”
     
    

    
     
      Aproximately
      1,300
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      opted
      out
      of
      the
      health
      plan
     
     
      last
      year.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      union
      is
      supposed
      to
     
     
      give
      a
      shit,
      they
      are
      supposed
      to
     
     
      care,”
      said
      Inman.
      “How
      do
      you
     
     
      justify
      denying
      medication
      to
     
     
      someone
      who
      needs
      it?”
     
    

    
     
      Although
      there
      is
      very
      little
     
     
      the
      union
      said
      it
      can
      do,
      it
      has
     
     
      agreed,
      upon
      request
      of
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dents,
      to
      fax
      a
      letter
      to
      the
      students’
     
     
      pharmacy
      explaining
      the
      situation
     
     
      and
      asking
      to
      delay
      processing
     
    
   
   
    
     
      until
      the
      renewal
      of
      the
      health
      plan
     
     
      is
      in
      effect.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      meantime,
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Health
      Centre
      have
      a
      few
      samples
     
     
      available
      for
      students,
      although
     
    
   
   
    
     
      these
      cannot
      be
      given
      out
      without
     
    
   
   
    
     
      seeing
      a
      physcian.
     
    

    
     
      So
      far,
      no
      students
      have
      had
     
     
      problems
      with
      the
      delay,
      most
      have
     
     
      been
      able
      to
      pay
      for
      their
      prescrip-
     
     
      tion,
      or
      have
      had
      other
      coverage
      to
     
     
      cover
      the
      bill.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      will
      do
      what
      we
      can
      to
     
     
      help
      students,”
      said
      Maureen
     
     
      MclInnis-Wheatley,
      Health
      Centre
     
     
      nurse,
      who
      also
      suggested
      that
     
     
      generic
      medications
      would
      proba-
     
     
      bly
      be
      cheaper
      than
      name
      brands.
     
    

    
     
      Student
      Services
      also
     
     
      offered
      to
      help.
      Emergency
      loans
     
     
      were
      given
      to
      students
      in
      extreme
     
     
      cases,
      but
      Bob
      Gibson,
      Director
      of
     
     
      Student
      Services
      said
      the
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      had
      to
      have
      the
      money
      to
      pay
      the
     
     
      loan
      back.
     
    

    
     
      “IT
      would
      not
      discourage
     
     
      students
      from
      coming
      to
      us
      for
     
     
      help,”
      said
      Gibson,
      who
      added
      that
     
     
      if
      students
      had
      no
      other
      alternative,
     
     
      student
      services
      would
      lend
      a
      help-
     
     
      ing
      hand.
     
    

    
     
      Health
      cards
      will
      be
      in
      dur-
     
     
      ing
      the
      first
      week
      of
      November,
     
     
      but
      claims
      can
      be
      processed
      around
     
     
      October
      10th,
      when
      all
      students
     
     
      had
      been
      given
      a
      chance
      to
      opt
      out
     
     
      of
      the
      health
      plan
      and_
      the
      insur-
     
     
      ance
      company
      has
      received
      the
      list
     
     
      of
      names
      of
      the
      students
      to
      be
      cov-
     
     
      ered
      by
      the
      plan.
     
    

    
     
      The
      health
      plan
      for
      interna-
     
     
      tional
      students
      differs
      from
      that
      of
     
     
      Canadian
      students,
      and
      therefore
     
     
      these
      students
      should
      inquire
      at
      the
     
     
      union
      about
      the
      details
      of
      their
      pol-
     
    
   
   
    
     
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