Furthermore, Garber defended the changes based on an empirical study conducted by Medical School professor Joseph P. Newhouse ’63 that showed through a randomized experiment that increasing cost-sharing reduced health care usage while not harming health outcomes among employed adults.
Garber acknowledged that while this result may be counterintuitive and the study is old, it does provide the best empirical data that is available today.
Ahead of the meeting, several members of the UBC penned an op-ed defending the changes in The Crimson on Tuesday.
Around 20 professors interviewed by The Crimson almost unanimously praised the motion after the meeting let out.
“It was a great moment for faculty, total dissent,” History professor Carter J. Eckert said after the meeting. “It was a complete rejection on the part of the faculty.”
Although English professor Deidre S. Lynch said she would not describe the discussion as “angry,” she said after the meeting that “a lot of us felt as if the committee that decided the benefits condescended to us.”
Classics professor Richard F. Thomas, who seconded Lewis’s motion, called the result “resounding” after the meeting. “I don’t think this is where Harvard wants to go,” he said of the new benefits policy. “This looks like more of a corporate policy.”
The meeting drew noticeably greater numbers than is usual, with many attendees sitting on the floor.
“I don’t come every time, but this time I came for this reason,” said Romance Languages and Literature professor Francesco Erspamer.
Lewis said she was “heartened” by the high attendance at the meeting, noting that professors currently on sabbatical were present.
History professor Alison Frank Johnson, a vocal critic of the changes who spoke at the meeting, said afterwards that she was moved by the actions of her colleagues. “It was supportive and deeply thoughtful and I think outraged but in a respectful way,” she said. “I’m proud to be a member of this community right now. We came together to share our thoughts and concerns.”
Also during the meeting, the Faculty heard a presentation on the five-year review of the human development and regenerative biology concentration.
FAS Dean Michael D. Smith also discussed a proposed motion that would slightly change the procedure for expulsion and dismissal of students, introducing a requirement that decisions be reached by a vote of two-thirds of Faculty Council present and voting. Currently, the decision must be agreed upon by two-thirds of the 18-person council, regardless of attendance.
—Crimson staff writers Meg P. Bernhard, Matthew Q. Clarida, Noah J. Delwiche, Mariel S. Klein, and Ivan S. Levingston contributed to the reporting of this story.
—Staff writer Dev A. Patel can be reached at dev.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @dev_a_patel.
—Staff writer Steven R. Watros can be reached at steven.watros@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveWatros.
This article has been revised to reflect the following clarification
CLARIFICATION: Novemebr 5, 2014
An earlier version of this article stated that under the new benefits plans, individuals would be liable for up to $1,500 in copays and families of three or more liable up to $4,500. To clarify, those out of pocket maximum figures include copays, coinsurance, deductibles, and drug costs.