Sept. 4, 2003
- Special
Report: Service at Penn: A way of life
How Penn has incorporated community service into every aspect of its operations. - Service and learning go together across the campus
- Center helps big dreamers start small businesses
- Seeds of better health grow in U-City
- CCP spreads gospel of civic engagement
- Penn programs fill local needs
- Penn VIPS harness the impulse to do good
- Event Listings
- Editor's Pick: Four decades out front
- See the world for a few dollars more
- Talkin' justice at the NCC
- Admissions demystified
- Get out of line on payday
- People's Choice: Where do you park?
ASK
BENNY
“Employer-funded” health insurance? Huh?
Illustration
by Bo Brown
Dear Benny,
I recently received
an “Explanation of Benefits” concerning
my Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance. At the bottom is the statement, “These
health benefits are entirely funded by the employer.” I am under
the impression that I pay a portion of the health insurance cost. What’s
up?
— Perplexed
Dear Head-Scratcher,
You just got exposed to a bit of inside-baseball benefits terminology
that left me confused too. The folks at Human Resources straightened
me out.
Employees do pay a portion of their health insurance costs, a practice known as premium sharing. Your payroll deduction is your share of the premium. The statement on your Explanation of Benefits refers to something called plan funding, which is different. Plan funding concerns who pays the actual hospital and doctor bills covered under the plan—the employer (“self-insured”) or the insurance company (“fully-insured”). For an employer the size of Penn, self-insurance is more efficient, resulting in lower total costs—and thus lower premiums for you.
Dear Benny,
How many historically certified buildings are there on campus?
— Landmark
Lover
Dear Building Buff,
Five campus buildings are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places: College Hall, Fisher Fine Arts Library,
Sansom Row (the row houses
on the 3400 block of Sansom Street), the Left Bank and the former Hajoca
building, soon to be the new home of WXPN at 3025 Walnut St. One of
these—Fisher
Library, designed by Frank Furness—is also a National Historic
Landmark.
The Philadelphia Historical Commission has certified 22 campus buildings, including College Hall, Houston Hall, the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the Quadrangle and Sansom Row, as historic structures. A complete list can be found at the Facilities and Real Estate Services web site, www.facilities.upenn.edu.
Got a question for Benny? You can ask Benny about benifits, worklife issues, University history or trivia, or other matters pertaining to life at Penn. Send it via e-mail to current@pobox.upenn.edu or via regular mail to the Current, 200 Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106. A Current coffee mug goes to those whose questions we publish.
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