Steps to increase the grade of health care for full-time University employees through the Definity Health Care Plan have become an important issue, said Vice President of Human Resource Management Forest Benedict at a Faculty Senate meeting Monday.
After six months, the Definity Health pilot program has 3,000 faculty and staff employees enrolled who have reported good results, Benedict said.
Health insurance premiums such as Ochsner’s HMO Health Plan are increasing at least 15 percent, while Definity is increasing 5 percent, he said.
Of all University employees, 40 percent do not have a health care plan, Benedict said. Two-thirds of the employees make less than $40,000 a year, he said.
Aspiring toward consumer-driven health care, Benedict said human resources “might be able to design a low-cost health-benefit option.”
Right now, students who receive graduate assistantships are not eligible for a health care plan, Benedict said. With efforts to bring better students to the University, a health care plan would make the University more attractive and competitive in recruitment.
In other business, Interim Director of LSU CAPITAL Joel Tohline spoke about advances in information technology such as SuperMike, the 11th fastest supercomputer in the world, he said.
When computer hardware company Intel came to visit the University, it “was surprised at what we accomplished,” Tohline said. As a result, a professional film crew came to the University to make an Intel marketing campaign, he said.
SuperMike also was highlighted at the Baltimore supercomputer conference in October, he said.
SuperMike is so popular that Blockbuster asked Tohline if he would sell time on SuperMike to research where to place the next Blockbuster retail outlet, he said.
But instead of selling them time on SuperMike, he gave Blockbuster an opportunity to invest in research on the computer.
In other business, Chancellor Mark Emmert spoke about the renovations to the north side of campus and the residential life areas of campus.
He also spoke about what he will present at the next Board of Supervisors meeting concerning the Flagship Agenda.
Interim Provost Laura Lindsay spoke about the renovations on campus as part of the Master Plan and the results so far in Hodges Hall. She also spoke about future renovations in Hatcher Hall and Johnston Hall.
The Senate also approved a resolution creating a task force to enhance Emmert’s efforts to attain more funding for higher education from the legislature.
Finally, the Senate agreed to ask LSU System President William Jenkins to speak at its next meeting about Emmert’s salary package and the recent media attention surrounding his interest-free loan from the LSU Foundation.