Starting this summer, the University of Iowa’s 2,600 graduate employees might not be burdened with expensive medical bills again, but Iowa State officials seem to be pleased with ISU’s graduate health-care plan.

The members of United Electrical Local 896-COGS, the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, and the university’s administration formed a contract which establishes a comprehensive healthcare plan for all graduate employees at the University of Iowa.

“This is a major accomplishment for our union,” said Leslie Taylor, co-president of UE-COGS. “We have achieved our primary goal, to win a real health-care plan for graduate employees. This will mean health security and a more productive academic life for thousands of graduate employees.”

Taylor said on March 1, the members of UE Local 896-COGS approved a union contract agreement with the state Board of Regents with 95 percent of the voting members approving the contract.

“We didn’t think our work was valued in terms of benefits before the contract agreement,” Taylor said.

Chuck Cychosz, a program coordinator for student affairs at Iowa State, said ISU graduate students have two major healthcare benefits, student health insurance and prescription cards.

“For a number of years, we’ve paid single student health insurance,” Cychosz said.

Iowa State, Cychosz said, continues to work on keeping the level of graduate student’s benefits at a reasonable level. He said the university does its best to make graduate student money go as far as it can in health care.

Cychosz said prescription cards are given to graduate students on appointment at the Student Health Center.

“It works just like any other drug card, but it only functions through the health center,” he said.

Kevin Ragland, president of the ISU Graduate Student Senate, said he is very satisfied with the healthcare benefits that he receives from ISU.

“I am very pleased with mine,” Ragland said. “I think there is always room for improvement though.”

Ragland said Iowa State’s health services have cooperated in the past with the Graduate Student Senate. “It’s not perfect, but nothing is,” he said.

The contract at the University of Iowa, Taylor said, provides the employees with what is called UI GradCare, a healthcare plan similar to the health plan of University of Iowa professors.

Taylor said the UI GradCare plan gives graduate employees free physical exams, inexpensive prescription drugs, free eye exams, 90-percent coverage of basic medical procedures and an out of pocket maximum.

“Previously, we didn’t have these benefits,” Taylor said. “The plan before only covered $500, now the out of pocket maximum is $1,000, and the insurance plan will cover the rest.”

Taylor said the new plan costs exactly the same amount as the old “Swiss cheese” plan. “There were a lot of holes in the old plan,” she said.

The contract, Taylor said, also provides paid leaves of absence, protections against overwork, early notification of job appointments and across the board salary increases for graduate employees.

Despite the union gains, Taylor said the Board of Regents and the University of Iowa refused to affirm a human-rights policy in the contract.

“We asked the university to affirm human rights in contract. They refused,” she said. “Our members are outraged.”

Taylor said 95 percent of all unions have a human-rights policy in contract.

“The University of Iowa is the only union without a clause,” she said. “We want to be able to grieve discrimination on the jobs.”

The issue will still remain on the table, Taylor said. COGS members will continue to fight against institutional discrimination at the University of Iowa.

Taylor said the UE Local 896-COGS will keep the issue alive until the contract comes up for discussion again in two years. She said COGS will then bargain the human-rights issue with the university.

“Until then, we will remain satisfied with our new health plan,” Taylor said.