<p>I'm a junior at Tulane and am curious about the sudden emphasis and reform concerning the mental health department. I'm not complaining, but it seems a little random, when there are so many other departments in need of reform at Tulane. </p>
<p>What made Tulane have a change of heart to combine services (fire the ERC counselors and merge into the general health center) and why are they changing insurers and why are there suddenly monthly events wanting our opinions, when they didn't seem all that concerned two or three years ago?</p>
<p>I certainly don’t know any of the details, other than for the change in insurance. I don’t know much about details there either, really, except it appears they got more coverage for less money from United than they were from Blue Cross or whoever it was before. I know they did an open bid process.</p>
<p>But as far as the other things, it sounds like progress to me. I am not sure what you are asking. All reform has to start someplace, so to ask “why now” could be asked any time it started, and I am not sure what one learns from it, at least in this case. There are some new people in the administration, that certainly might have been a factor. Or perhaps it has been in the works for a while. Universities are all generally slow to implement reforms. Tulane is sometimes much better than most, and sometimes just like the others.</p>
<p>Like you, I am always curious about these things. At the same time as long as things are moving in a positive direction, no sense looking a gift horse in the mouth, as the old saying goes.</p>
<p>Hi jym. I am not sure there is really anything “going on”. I think this is just normal growth and change, as with any institution or organization. Executives look at where things are relative to resources, peer institutions, etc. and decide that certain changes might make things better. The insurance change seems to me like a simple cost/value calculation.</p>
<p>Tulane, like all universities, is constantly looking at what more it can offer, what changes make sense, and what its peer “competitors” are doing. Therefore one could pick any point in time and ask “why are they doing this, and why now” but except for the most extreme changes and/or those that seem really unusual, I cannot see why it is worth examining them in any detail. It is simply good practice, and absolutely necessary, to continue to adapt and refine any any organization.</p>
<p>Obviously I am a big supporter of mental health services, being in the field and all.
I meant “what is going on” as in “can you provide more details”? I am interested in hearing more about what they are doing, what insurance changes you are referring to, etc.</p>
<p>[Student</a> Health Center changes insurance, counseling options - The Tulane Hullabaloo : Campus News](<a href=“thehullabaloo.com”>thehullabaloo.com)</p>
<p>Thanks for the link, parent9. Thats what I was interested in.</p>
<p>It is a shame that Aetna raised its fees for, at least where I live, Aetna is much easier to deal with as a provider of MH coverage than UHC/UBH.</p>