Jamie Karl from the Students Benefits Office kindly spoke to students and answered questions regarding our recent switch to the Wellfleet insurance plan! Below you can find the recording of the talk as well as additional resources for you to explore!

Recording
Slide Deck
Wellfleet Claim Form

In addition to the talks, there were a few questions that popped up during discussions: You can see those answers below!

1. The Delta Dental benefit will only pay out a maximum of $1500 per person in each calendar/plan year. So this year will be 7/1/23-8/14/24. The next plan year will be 8/15/24-8/14/25.
2. The max payout a subscriber would have to pay out of pocket is $3000 per person per plan year before Wellfleet will pay everything at 100%.
3. The prescription drug benefits -$15 for generics and $25 for brand name are for a 30-day supply. If you receive over a 30-day supply, then your out-of-pocket may be more. (As someone described in the audience paying $36, because that was a 90-day supply.)Regarding the preventative care benefit, GYN and your PCP are covered at 100%. There isn’t a benefit for preventative care dermatology: Important – Your provider or lab, must submit the billing as preventative care service in order for the visit to be paid 100%!
4. Regarding the preventative care benefit, GYN and your PCP are covered at 100%. There isn’t a benefit for preventative care dermatology: Important – Your provider or lab, must submit the billing as preventative care service in order for the visit to be paid 100%!
5. A physician (specialist) office visit is paid out at 90% in network, which would be the dermatology annual visit.

In addition to the talks, there were a few questions that popped up during discussions: You can see those answers below!

As we all know, medical bills cause significant financial burden to graduate students, and this can be exacerbated when students struggle to understand their health insurance benefits and medical bills. To address this, the GSA hosted a presentation about the Student Health Program and the medical billing process on February 2nd, 2023 from 4-5 PM via Zoom. Olha Gudesblat, the Assistant Manager of University Health Services, and Chrissy St Clair, the Manager of Student Benefits, shared their knowledge and answered student questions. Check out the recoding, and their slide decks!

Recording
SOM Graduate SHP Slide Deck
UHS Slide Deck

As of January 11th, 2023, the GSA was able to host an accountant-led presentation and forum for the student body. The link to the recording and the slides used for the presentation section are found below. Contact information for each speaker, Joe Musumeci, CPA and Tax office manager Eric Arneklev, is found in the description of the video. Find more information about filing taxes on their website, or by contacting the office directly.

Recording
Slide Deck

Dr. Jennifer Howes, the Chief Mental Health Director at JHU, recently spoke to us about current Mental Health Services at JHU. Take a moment to look through her informative slides to learn more about what services are offered here at Johns Hopkins as well as learn about the exciting steps the Student Health and Well-Being Office is taking to continue to improve mental health services for JHU learners..

Recording
Slide Deck
Mental Health Resources at JHU

The Grad Student Association and the Biomedical Scholars Association recently had a conversation with the Vice President of Public Safety Dr. Branville Bard and the Senior Advisor of Public Safety Rodney Hill regarding updates to the Johns Hopkins Police Department and the recent release of the memorandum of understanding. View the webinar recording here. 

As most of you are probably aware, the University announced the finalization of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Police Department on December 2nd, 2022. This announcement came after three town hall events and an outpouring of polarized feedback from faculty, staff, students, and the Baltimore community. Next steps for the implementation of the Johns Hopkins Police Department include recruitment, training, and deployment of officers over the next year.

The well-being of SOM graduate students is at the forefront of the GSA and BSA’s agenda, and we recognize that these updates may negatively impact the mental health of our students. The GSA and BSA have compiled a preliminary list of questions and concerns here.

Your voice matters! You can directly submit your comments to Johns Hopkins Public Safety here.

On Dec 14th 2022 the GSA had Dr. Nancy Kass, the Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education talk to us about the Provosts Office.Browse through the linked slides below to learn about what the Provosts Office is, what functions they serve, and links to important resources for graduate students.

Recording
Slide Deck
More information on SOM Offices

On Dec 17th 2021 the GSA and PDCO hosted a panel with 5 working JHU affiliate mothers who shared with students their perspectives on integrating family at different stages of their career. We invite you to hear their stories about the challenges and reward of family and career planning!

Recording

In addition to the above panel session with GSA, the JHU Office of Benefits and Work Life have hosted information sessions on Family and Caregiving Programs at JHU

• Talk by Jeannie Lovie Director of Family Support Services
• Talk by Jeremy Horneberg Family Program Specialist