Hygiene May Give Blue Cross Service

The Hygiene Department may provide Blue Cross hospitalization for all University students, a medical authority indicated last night.

Earlier this weekend, Blue Cross insurance was extended to some 800 students in the graduate medical schools under an "experimental program" recommended by a six-man Corporation Committee.

At the same time, the University, following the Committee's suggestion, raised medical fees for undergraduates from $30 a year to $37.50. No benefits for College students have yet been added.

However, Dr. Arlie V. Bock, Henry K. Oliver Professor of Hygiene, said last night he thought the inauguration of Blue Cross in some of the graduate schools might mean "it will eventually be extended to the College."

The revisions are the result of a study made by a Corporation Committee appointed last fall, and headed by Henry L. Shattuck '01, noted public health authority. The study sought to determine the sort of medical service the University wanted for its students.

Benefits for 800

According to the Committee's program, which will begin next year for 800 students at the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Dental Medicine, office care, home care, and Blue Cross hospitalization will be provided for $50 per calendar year.

Facilities to handle the Blue Cross program will be set up at the Medical School and at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. A full-time medical director and staff will function there. Under the plan, the 800 students will receive 60 days of hospitalization without cost and an additional 60 days at reduced cost.

Walve Waiting Period

Blue Cross has waived its usual 12- month waiting period in order to allow the experimental program to get under way on July 1, 1953.

Since the graduate students' $50 fee is effective for a full 12 months, they are actually receiving the added benefits at the same price the undergraduate is paying --$37.50 for nine months. Bock explained that the Hygiene Department has fallen into a deficit for three straight years, and the increase to College students would help offset this. He also conjectured that the increase might be designed to cover a future Blue Cross plan.