The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/insurance/)
With the start of 2020 endowed benefits enrollment last week — allowing employees to renew their health insurance for next year — the Cornell Division of Human Resources has announced new dental and vision plans for faculty and staff.
Unlike Iran policy, central bank reform or wildlife conservation, health care is a quotidian issue. The cost of premiums and copays are a consistent burden for the 28 percent of working-age adults who are underinsured. The price of prescriptions and hospital visits can’t be ignored without serious effects on economic stability. The future of health care is a hot topic, and it would behoove candidates (presidential, congressional and otherwise) and voters to pay attention. The debate over the state of our health care system has consumed classrooms (shoutout to PAM 2350: the U.S. Healthcare System), dining rooms, the pages of health care and medical journals and the Congressional floor.
The Employee Assembly discussed the health and insurance benefits available to Cornell employees at a meeting Wednesday.
These available benefits are communicated to employees through informative programs, according to Paul Bursic, senior director of benefit services. “We do have an extensive outreach in a number of different areas, particularly around retirement plans, to let people know what benefits are available to them,” Bursic said. Bursic added that Cornell offers a number of opportunities for employees to visit the benefits office throughout the year. “There are various seminars and one-on-one counseling,” Bursic said. “We are also working to improve our webpage presence.”
Gina Giambattista, director of the office of the assemblies, and Billy Kepner, vice chair of communications, communicated concerns about insurance available to employees struggling wth mental health illnesses.