St. Olaf and Carleton administrators and students are troubled by looming changes in health care. According to Greg Kneser, Interim Dean of Students at St. Olaf, Allina Medical Clinic has chosen not to renew its contract with the colleges.

The current contract provides available doctors for athletic teams and medical supervision of health services at St. Olaf and Carleton. The contract also allows students to visit Allina Clinic physicians at no additional cost.

As the contract stands, St. Olaf and Carleton pay Allina a set fee at the beginning of each school year. For St. Olaf students, this charge is included in the comprehensive fee. The colleges are then provided with eight slots per day in which students can be referred to visit a doctor at the clinic. St. Olaf Medical Technologist Michelle Johnson said the time slots for students vary, but are usually from 1:00- 3:30 p.m. each day.

Allina now plans to admit students as regular patients at the clinic. Advantages include visiting doctors any time during regular clinic hours and seeing doctors of the student's choosing for each appointment.

For students with health insurance, Allina's proposal could promote more stability in personal health care. Students without health insurance, however, will have to pay directly for their medical visits.

A change in Allina's health service provision has sparked changes in St. Olaf's policies. "Currently, St. Olaf does not require students to be covered under health insurance," Kneser said. "Beginning next year, however, we're requiring that every student show proof of insurance."

Cost and communication represent Kneser's main concerns with Allina's proposal. He stated that St. Olaf administrators must reexamine the St. Olaf health insurance plan as well as consider the cost of general health insurance for students. "We will need to address the expenses of students, and how financial aid packages will be affected," he said. "We don't want to prevent students from attending St. Olaf simply because they cannot afford health care."

Allina's decision not to renew the contract with St. Olaf and Carleton has left both colleges exploring different health care options. One proposed idea involves each college hiring its own private doctor. A second option would include using the emergency room at the Northfield Hospital as a form of urgent care service. "Nothing has been decided," said Certified Nurse Practitioner Shirley Herried. "And nothing is clear. The change in policy came as quite a surprise."

Members of the administration, student government, and health services at St. Olaf have formed a loose confederation to find the best health care plan available to students. Feedback from the student population will be essential to all parts of this decision making process.

St. Olaf and Carleton are working together to find answers to questions raised by this issue. According to Kneser, the main thing to remember is that students will have access to health care. "Working out the associated issues is simply a part of achieving that goal," Kneser said.