Student insurance plan requires balance

Rice University has invested considerable effort in recent years to improve health insurance coverage for students. Success can be measured in many ways, improved care and lower costs among them. By those measures, we have been successful. Negotiating a student insurance plan is a complex task with many different considerations: How much overall cost should students bear? What essential services do they need? What kind of provider network best serves students? Is the insurance company stable? Should all students on the plan pay a higher cost for a few students who may become ill, or should overall costs be kept to a minimum with students who become ill paying for a higher percentage of their care?