NCAA Insurance Survey Details What College Insurance Programs Need

In intercollegiate athletics departments across the U.S., Athletic Trainers are part of their school’s goals and strategies for team and department success through their care of student-athletes. You are probably acutely aware of the role medical insurance plays in a student-athlete’s health, your department’s financial wellness, and the school’s reputation. It can be a lot to juggle—especially when student-athlete injuries, high medical expenses, and lack of insurance coverage have been in the news in recent years.

Fortunately, there is good news in an NCAA insurance survey of Athletic Trainers that shows schools are moving in the right direction with insurance for their athletes. What does this look like?

7 Key Survey Findings Show Positive Medical Insurance and Cost Trends

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) compiled responses from head Athletic Trainers from 209 Dll schools (Division ll) in their 2017 survey. The responses matched trends shown in a Dl survey (Division 1) of 232 schools done a year earlier.

The survey’s key Dll school findings of insurance coverage and costs for injuries not covered by insurance include:

1. 86% mandate student-athletes to have primary insurance coverage (this is required to be eligible for the NCAA’s $90,000 catastrophic coverage to come into play.)
2. 42% provide the primary insurance if the student-athlete doesn’t have it.
3. 64% purchase an accident insurance policy.
4. 21% require the student to provide their own coverage.
5. 57% review the policies, and 68% of those provide guidance about deductibles and copays.
6. 51% pay 100% of costs for athletically-related injuries if a student-athlete doesn’t have primary coverage.
7. 42% indicate student-athletes don’t have any out-of-pocket expenses such as deductibles, copays, and prescriptions for an injury.

These results show that more schools across the divisions are taking steps to ensure their athletes have the care they need for injuries suffered while playing for the school—without accompanying financial repercussions for themselves and their families.

But, what are the financial repercussions to your school with these changes?

Controlling the Costs of Injuries

While 64% of schools purchase accident insurance, of that amount, 85% pay a premium between $25,000 and $200,000. That doesn’t include the out-of-pocket costs incurred from using the insurance to cover treatment.

Providing this coverage and assistance shows the school’s commitment to the student-athlete’s health. It also shows the community and greater public that the school cares about the students who literally put their life and career on the line to play every week. But care and cost control don’t always work together. Athletic trainers often get caught in all of the paperwork and red-tape, with less time to provide expertise where it’s really needed. That’s where an insurance carrier like A-G Administrators can help schools deal with both injuries and costs.

A-G Administrators has provided accident coverage to student-athletes at more than 675 colleges and universities for close to 40 years.

“We believe we are more than just an insurance carrier to our schools,” says James Shipp, A-G’s Chief Operating Officer. “Our concentration on claims management reduces administrative workloads and lowers expenses. Then, those lower expenses come full circle, being reflected back in lower premium costs.”

How A-G Reduces Claims Management Overload and Saves Money

A-G has a proprietary insurance claims management system called EGBAR. EGBAR stands for Efficiency Generating Business Automation Resource, and it’s the key to managing a successful, cost-effective program. Schools are given access to EGBAR through our accident insurance plans.

First, EGBAR and the A-G account manager remove the administrative burden of claims management from your department office.

• Once an athlete supplies his or her primary and secondary insurance information, the correct bills are automatically connected with the right insurance plan.
• Claims can be bulk-uploaded. Secure software automatically pairs documents with the correct claim in 24 hours.
• A-G does the follow-up on missing paperwork, EOBs, and other documentation.
• Claims reconciliations happen in real-time, including deductible and claims amounts, what’s been paid, and check date and number.

Next, EGBAR generates reports that can help you with risk management strategies.

• You can answer questions about injuries in the industry’s first fully configurable claim forms.
• We can build a risk management picture from actionable data about the injuries specific to the sport.
• For instance, you may see that a certain injury could benefit from a specific strength training program or changing warmups.

Last, working with our 43 provider networks nationwide, we have the flexibility to control costs and negotiate with providers.

• This is where A-G and EGBAR can really make a big difference to your department’s overall expense management.

How much can EGBAR and A-G save you?

Over $230,000 in Accident Claims Savings in 3 Years

“These savings were realized by a Dll school compared to their previous experience. This was a greater than 50% decrease in claims payments,” Shipp shares.

As the NCAA survey shows, more colleges are doing the right thing by making college injury recovery costs something students and families don’t have to worry about. And, if your school is one of the 64% already doing so, congratulations. But, you should check in with us about EGBAR and see if we can save you time and money on premiums and claims management.

And, if your school isn’t yet providing accident insurance, you should also check with us about how simple it is to get and cost-effectively implement.

Either way, we look forward to helping you find a financial game plan for healthy students and department budgets.

Request a quote today.