Indiana State University employees will not have a health insurance premium increase next year.
On Friday, the ISU board approved the 2023 health insurance plan, which does not include any premium increases for employees.
Diann McKee, senior vice president of finance and administration, said claims through August were down 11% from a year earlier and costs were lower than expected.
This resulted in favorable projections for 2023. “Part of that is because we also have fewer people on the plan,” McKee told the finance trust committee at an earlier meeting.
McKee
While ISU faces a projected 1% increase in health plan costs next year, the university is able to absorb that cost, which is about $150,000, McKee said.
The university maintains a self-insured health plan for active employees with approximately $17.3 million in annual medical and prescription expenses.
The plan includes wellness incentives and tobacco supplements.
In an informational article, trustees were told that at their December meeting they will be asked to approve a revised tobacco-free, vapor-free and smoke-free campus policy to reflect the fact that since last July, all Designated smoking areas on campus have been removed.
“We had a handful of smoking shelters,” McKee said. “These have now all been removed.”
The only exception is that people will still be able to smoke in private vehicles.
Also on Friday, Chris Bayh, an attorney and partner at Barnes and Thornburg in Indianapolis, is now serving as ISU’s external general counsel, ISU President Deborah Curtis announced.
Barnes and Thornburg provided legal advice to the ISU for many years, Bayh said. “I’m the corporate contact for the state of Indiana.”
During the meeting, Bayh discussed policy revisions regarding changes in Indiana law that expand free speech protections on public college campuses. ISU policies relate to the use of university facilities and the “right of expression”.
State law prevents public colleges and universities from discriminating against or denying benefits to groups of students because of their religion, political affiliation, or ideology, and the new law also prohibits freedom zones. ‘expression.
The revisions “aim to ensure compliance with the new law,” Bayh said after the meeting.
The facilities-related policy change adds a paragraph ensuring that individuals can express themselves freely in any outdoor space on campus, unless that space has been reserved in advance.
The revision of the policy on the right to expression incorporates the requirements of the new law.
The proposed changes have been presented for informational purposes only and will be considered for action at the next directors’ meeting.
Bayh is the son of the late former Senator Birch Bayh and Katherine Bayh.
The Bayh family’s contributions and ties to Indiana State University go back generations, and Bayh College of Education is named after the family.
“Indiana State is a very special institution for our family,” Chris Bayh said.
On a related note, Joyce Thompson Mills was introduced as the new Executive Director of ISU Legal Services.
