SLC discusses plebiscite for Health and Dental Plan

By Enobong Ukpong, July 26 2021—

This week’s Students’ Legislative Council (SLC) meeting was held on July 20. A significant point of discussion was the approval of the Health and Dental Plan Plebiscite Questions.

Due to increasing fees, the Students’ Union (SU) can no longer financially support the Health and Dental Plan in its current state. 

“Some parts of the Health and Dental Plan have to budge, either the fees or the coverage,” said Mickail Hendi, vice president operations and finance. 

The Health and Dental fee has stayed the same since 1993, and the University of Calgary’s fees are currently one of the lowest in Canada. However, the cost of providing coverage for students increases each year.

“Last year, the SU lost $12.92 per student on the cost of the plan since the fee that we have to pay to Gallivan, the plan’s provider, was larger than the revenue we got from collecting the student fees,” said Hendi. “Something has to budge, and we want students to be the ones to decide what that thing has to be.”

While the SU has not decided whether to increase fees or reduce coverage, the SLC has voted to issue a list of plebiscite questions to gauge what options students prefer. There is also an option to increase fees dramatically for more coverage than the Health and Dental plan currently provides, as well as an option to tie the fees to the Consumer Price Index or other market indicators.

“These plebiscite questions will help inform the SU as to how to best proceed with the referendum in the March 2022 general election in order to ensure that the Health and Dental Plan remains financially sustainable for the SU and for students,” said Nicole Schmidt, SU president. 

Agendas, minutes, and upcoming meetings for SLC can be found online.