Health and dental insurance rates will remain the same for plans offered by Iowa State during the upcoming school year.

ISU Student & Scholar Health Insurance Plan, which uses the Aetna Student health insurance company, kept the same rates from last year. For a full year of coverage, the cost will stay at $1,442 for a student, and will continue insurance plans for spouses and families.

“This trend is good news for students in that they will not have to pay more out of their pocket if they use insurance provided by Iowa State,” said Mike Otis, associate director of benefits at Iowa State.

The lack of increase was surprising to the university because the health insurance rates on a national level have been going up anywhere from 6 to 12 percent in the last year, Otis said.

The increase in claims on a national level is likely coming from a rush of people getting medical treatments in anticipation of layoffs, according to Seattlepi. The number of claims in the year determines if the premiums will go up or down the following year.

This continuous rate at Iowa State is due to the claims costs from last year were less than what officials were expecting. This is the first time in years the rates have stayed the same for students.

Otis hopes the holding rates will attract more students to health insurance, if they don’t have any already. Rates not increasing means students may continue services through the university without paying more.

Otis said it was important for students to talk to their parents or spouse about the available options to make sure they are covered in case anything does happen.

“Insurance is an investment to protect their education,” Otis said. “If students become ill or need medical attention, they may not be able to go on with their education because of bills. Insurance is their safety net.”