But even under the lowest cost plan, Harvard Community Health Plan (HCHP), premiums will be $41 a month for part-timers earning less than $45,000, as opposed to $24 for full-time employees.

"There are a couple stories we hear of exempt [non-union] staff who work 26 hours per week and are begging their department to increase their hours to 28," says Donene M. Williams, HUCTW president. "They're making decisions about whether they can afford to keep working based on the changes in the health insurance."

"And that's an outrageous way to have to make a decision," she says.

Union members and officials say that workers often have part-time status due to a necessity, such as health problems, instead of choice.

"Part-time workers work part-time because they have kids or parents at home," says Jennie H. Rathburn, an HUCTW member who works full-time in Houghton Library.

Currently, workers play $0 to $10 per office visit. With the changes, co-payments will be $10 for all plans.

"The puzzling thing about that is it's kind of regressive," says a Kennedy School employee and HUCTW member. "If you make what we make, it is completely counter to the philosophy of what an HMO is."

And if the union accepts the changes in their negotiations next spring, Rathburn estimates the additional annual drain on her pocketbook from the increased co-payments would be $500.

It appears from the report, however, that the University isn't expecting out-of-pocket costs to go up--instead, the task force seems to have expected that the number of trips to the doctor would go down.

"Co-pays for office visits should be at a level high enough to discourage excessive use of services," the report says.

Details

But John and Joan Yatteau, both Harvard staff members, predict significant increases in their medical costs.

Joan Yatteau is a HUCTW member and a secretary. Her husband John Yatteau is a systems manager and project scientist in the Division of Applied Sciences, and is an exempt staff member. The couple is currently insured under John Yatteau's Harvard University Group Health Plan (HUGHP).

"I can tell you that in the discussions we have had we are going to be paying about $500 more a year for no increase in services," Joan says. "We have always used HUGHP, and we've never had a co-payment before."

The couple say they are also concerned about increases in the cost of their dental coverage. The University will now contribute 65 percent, instead of 66 to 70 percent, of dental costs.