6A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2006
HEALTH
Board of Regents considers new health plan
BY KIM WALLACE
The Kansas Board of Regents is preparing a more comprehensive student health insurance package for all Regents-governed schools.
A task force will explore ideas for more complete coverage for outpatient services, physical therapy and vaccinations that insurance policies did not previously cover. Students will have the option to sign up for the new plan during the 2007-2008 school year.
The plan will take the place of the current University-sponsored health care plans that provide coverage for students. As of now, three separate insurance plans exist: the Student Senate-sponsored plan, provided through MEGA Student
Insurance; the Regents plan, also provided through MEGA Student Insurance; and the International plan, provided through Columbian Life Insurance Company.
The Student Senate plan costs $1928 annually while the Regents plan costs $876 annually. International students pay $935 a year.
"The goal is to make sure the premiums are affordable without compromising the benefits," said Diana Malott, assistant director of Student Health Services.
During the 2005-2006 school year, 510 students purchased the Student Senate plan, while 825 students and 586 graduate teaching and research assistants opted for the Regents plan. Almost 1,300 international students enrolled in the International plan.
By combining all of these students into one cohesive group of insurance buyers, Malott said, the costs of premiums would lower considerably.
"By having one plan available for all students, we could drive the costs down." Malott said.
Malott serves as the University's representative on the Regents task force designated to draw up the new insurance plan. The task force is chaired by Barbara Atkinson, executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center. Each Regents school has one representative on the task force.
The task force recognizes that most students remain covered by
their parents' insurance plans during their college careers, but is looking to provide an opportunity for low-cost insurance to those students who have no policies.
The committee is considering providing coverage for preventative vaccinations, such as MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), meningitis and human papillomavirus (HPV). These shots range from $72 to almost $400. Most insurance providers only cover preventative vaccinations for children up to six years old.
"With the recent mumps problem, it is entirely possible that this new plan could cover those types of vaccinations," Malott said.
The recent addition of the FDA approved HPV vaccine, Gardasil, at
Watkins Memorial Health Center, means vaccination coverage in health care plans remains a consideration for the task force.
The health center is willing to work with students without insurance. Watkins offers free office visits and financing to break down costs into monthly payments. But Malott emphasizes the importance of health insurance.
"Not having health insurance can be a financial catastrophe that can end a student's educational career," she said.
Kansan correspondent Kim Wallace can be contacted at editor@ kansan.com.
— Edited by Kate Shipley
MIDDLE EAST
Police were trying to determine if the alleged gunman, Nabeel Ahmed Issa Jaourah, was enticed by Islamic militants or a terror group to carry out the shooting, said a Jordanian security official, who agreed to discuss the investigation only if not quoted by name.
The attack at an ancient amphitheater came despite a heavy clampdown on security in this key U.S. ally since a string of deadly bombings at hotels last November that al Qaida in Iraq claimed to have staged.
The official said Jaourah, 38, is from Rusaifa, a village outside Zarqa, the hometown of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed June 7 when a U.S. warplane bombed his hideout in Iraq. Zaqa is an industrial town northeast of Amman that is a hub for extremist Muslims.
It was the first major terror attack in Jordan since the triple hotel bombings in the capital last November that killed 63 people, including three suicide bombers.
AMMAN, Jordan — A gunman opened fire on Western tourists at Roman ruins in the heart of Jordan's capital Monday, killing a British man and wounding six people before being overpowered. Police said the attacker came from the same area as the slain leader al-Qaida in Iraq.
Preliminary investigations found no link between known terror groups and Jaourah, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin who worked as a metal welder, the official said.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said she was "extremely saddened" by the shooting, "Acts of violence such as this are as senseless as they are callous," she said in a statement.
The dead man was identified only as a 30-year-old British man. Al-Fayez said the wounded included two British women, a Dutch man, an Australian woman, a woman from New Zealand and a Jordanian tourist police officer.
The attacker shouted "Allahu akbar," or God is great, as he ran past the tourists, firing at them from behind. Then he turned around, facing them, and continued to shoot, the security official said.
Shooting in Jordan leaves one Brit dead
Health Minister Saeed Darwazeh said the Dutch man underwent surgery to repair his liver. He said the one of the two British women was in intensive care, but did not elaborate on her condition. He said the New Zealander was expected to undergo surgery to remove a bullet.
BY JAMAL HALABY ASSOCIATED PRESS
He said bystanders, including Iraqi refugees, helped two tourist police capture the assailant, who tried to flee.
The U.S. Embassy said it extended "deepest condolences" to the victims. "We have the utmost confidence in the Jordanian security forces," it added.
The gunman struck just outside the entrance to the popular amphitheater ruins in downtown Amman about 12:30 p.m., said one witness, Mohammad Jawad Ali, an Iraqi.
"This is a cowardly terrorist attack, which we regret took place on Jordanian soil," said Interior Minister Eid al-Fayez. "This operation is considered a terrorist act unless the man is found to be deranged."
The rest were in stable condition, he said.
The majority of the victims in last November's attacks at hotels were Jordanian Muslim women and children. But there have been attacks on foreigners in Jordan in recent years and authorities say they have foiled a number of other terror plots.
After the November bombings, authorities tightened security around all tourist attractions and hotels, adding more metal detectors and police patrols.
Monday's attack seems to have succeeded because the gunman shot the tourists just outside the amphitheater's entrance_ an area frequented by low-income and unemployed Jordanians and Iraqis in a district populated by conservative Muslims.
The amphitheater, built by the Romans in A.D. 169-79, rises out of one of Amman's hillsides. It seats 6,000 people and is used for musical and other performances.
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