Medical Residency and Fellowship Health Care Benefits

Medical, Dental, Hospital Care

Medical, Dental, and Hospital Care: The UIHC has developed an extensive program to provide medical, dental and hospital care for house staff physicians, dentists, and their dependents. Dependents are defined as a house staff member's spouse and any unmarried dependent children. After the dependent child's 18th birthday, to qualify for continued coverage, the child must be a full-time student and the house staff member must be responsible for at least 50% of the child's cost of living expenses. Domestic partners, as defined by University policy, may also be eligible for medical coverage. The individual components of these programs are described below and, unless otherwise noted, all are provided at no cost to house staff members.

Dental Services: 

• In the Department of Hospital Dentistry, one annual dental visit for examination, diagnostic radiology and the cleaning of teeth is provided at no cost to the house staff member and his/her dependents. Other general dentistry services are provided to the house staff member and his/her dependents at 50% of the customary fee to cover laboratory and material costs associated with general dentistry treatments. For an appointment, contact the receptionist at (319) 356-2743 (5 th Floor Pomerantz Family Pavilion). Cancellation of appointments must be made 24 hours in advance or further treatment can be refused.
• Oral Surgery at UIHC is part of the courtesy care provided.
• The costs of the fixture and materials related to dental implants are NOT included in courtesy care and are paid by the house staff member.
• Orthodontics is not part of the courtesy care provision and is NOT covered.
• Services provided outside of the Department of Hospital Dentistry are NOT covered. This means that dental services provided by the College of Dentistry, the Center for Disabilities and Development, and/or outside (non-UI) practitioners of dentistry or dental subspecialists are excluded from coverage.
• On occasion, services are directed to non-UIHC sites, including the College of Dentistry or the Center for Disabilities and Development. It is only with prior approval of the Administrative Director of GME that these services may be covered at the 50% rate. Contact the GME Office at (319) 356-2256 for more information.

Obstetrics and Gynecologic Services:

• In the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, each house staff couple is limited to a maximum of $25,000 in courtesy care benefits for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

Ophthalmology: 

• Eye exams are provided at no cost to house staff members and their dependents in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
• Refraction-only exams, eyeglasses, contact lens fittings and contact lenses are NOT covered.
• The Department of Ophthalmology may provide LASIK surgery to house staff members at no cost. Any care provided will be on a case-by-case basis and the house staff member must inquire with the Department of Ophthalmology regarding coverage. LASIK surgery is not part of GME's courtesy care plan.

Otolaryngology: 

• Hearing aid exams are provided in the Department of Otolaryngology at no cost to house staff members and their dependents.
• The cost of purchasing hearing aids is NOT covered, although if hearing aids are purchased in the Department of Otolaryngology, the Department will discount the cost by 20%.

Other Locations Offering Courtesy Care Services:

• UIHC Johnson County Clinic Sites at North Liberty, Lone Tree and Southeast Iowa City provide services on a courtesy care basis; this includes the special UI Quickcare hours in North Liberty and Southeast Iowa City. Visit www.uihealthcare.com/quickcare for hours and a full list of services.
• Center for Disabilities and Development, (319) 353-6456, provides diagnostic and treatment services to infants, children and young adults with particularly complex physical, intellectual, learning, adjustment, and/or medical problems. Examples of these problems include autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, spina bifida, and traumatic brain injury. Comprehensive outpatient services are provided daily in the Alfred Healy Clinic, located in the Center for Disabilities and Development. The division's faculty coordinate care with local providers and schools. A family-focused interdisciplinary “team approach” is emphasized.

Locations NOT Covered by Courtesy Care:

• The University of Iowa Student Health Service does NOT provide courtesy care for house staff and their dependents.
• UI Quickcare in the Old Capital Town Center does NOT provide courtesy care for house staff and their dependents.
• University of Iowa Community Medical Services Clinics (UICMS) physician offices operated by University of Iowa Community Medical Services, Inc. outside of Johnson County, do NOT provide services on a courtesy care basis.

MEDICAL CARE/TREATMENT OUTSIDE OF IOWA CITY - WELLMARK BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD UNIVERSITY OF IOWA GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE

House staff physicians, dentists and their dependents are provided medical insurance coverage for care required as a result of illnesses and accidents occurring while they and/or their dependents are away from Iowa City for short periods of time, such as for assigned rotations and approved vacations, through a UIHC sponsored group policy with a major insurance carrier (currently Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Iowa). Routine care may also be covered by this plan if the house staff member and/or his/her dependents are outside the Iowa City area when this type of care is needed. “Outside of the Iowa City area” is defined as 30 miles or more away from UIHC.

This plan also covers medical equipment, supplies and other services outside of UIHC if these items are not available at UIHC. These services must be medically necessary and prescribed by a UIHC staff physician; house staff members are advised to contact the GME Office prior to purchasing nonUIHC equipment and/or services.

This major medical insurance plan provides unlimited coverage for house staff members and/or their dependents, as long as the conditions given in this Statement are met. House staff members will receive a Wellmark BlueCross/BlueShield card in the mail to be used for these purposes. Wellmark BlueCross/BlueShield cards that are not received by house staff members within 30 days of submitting their health care insurance application, must notify the GME Office that the insurance card has not yet been received. While it is expected that most medically necessary care should be obtained at UIHC via the courtesy care coverage, it should be noted that the Wellmark BlueCross/Blue Shield insurance cards are NOT to be used for care rendered at UIHC.

Term of Health Care Coverage:
Coverage for courtesy care AND the Wellmark BlueCross BlueShield health insurance plan begins on the effective date of the house staff member's contract. Courtesy care provisions either end on the last day of the contract or on the last day of employment if the house staff member leaves prior to the end of the contract date due to any reason included, but not limited to resignations, termination or death. The Wellmark BlueCross/BlueShield group health insurance plan will end on the last day of the month depending on the following conditions: 1) end of contract, 2) resignation, 3) termination or 4) death. Upon departure from the training program, all house staff and their dependents are provided the right to temporary continuation of their health care benefits through various insurance plans at certain group rates. This is also known as the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). COBRA provides house staff members and their dependents the choice to continue their group health care benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time. Contact the GME Office at (319) 356-2256 for more information.