Written by:
Shali Zhu

Student Insurance: Cleaning Your Bill of Health

During last year’s swine flu outbreak, a number of students flocked to their universities’ health centers, wondering if they too had been infected with the H1N1 virus. While the services provided by campus health centers are much appreciated, especially in times like these, the fees they charge are far less pleasing. For one freshman at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, his bout of swine flu in October 2009 ultimately hurt not only his immune system, but also his wallet. Although Ilya Dynin used his parents’ insurance plan to cover his visit to the school health center, a recent Wall Street Journal article reported, he was later charged $65 in co-pay and late fees. Dynin is not alone. With an eclectic mix of private coverage and student plans, the college health system has few rules regulating how schools should charge students for health services.

According to the analysis performed by Keybridge Research LLC, a consulting firm, colleges across the nation overcharge students and their parents by anywhere from $2.3 billion to $2.9 billion per year on health center fees, premiums for student plans, and fees for specific health services. Colleges are particularly likely to overcharge students using private coverage rather than a school plan. Keybridge Research calculates that on average, students not using school-sponsored health plans are charged $25.12 more for immunizations, $38.77 more for X-rays, and $57.98 more for routine visits to the doctor. At the University of California, Berkeley, for instance, students using the school plan pay only $10.80 for an X-ray, while those using private coverage are required to pay five times more at $54.

So what can you do to make sure you are not being overcharged? James A. Boyle, president of the College Parents of America, advises students to think about how they are planning to use the campus health center and to locate a nearby hospital. For those using their schools’ health plan, James Turner of the American College Health Association recommends that they become familiar with their schools’ billing process and payment methods to avoid possible late fees, as well as obtain receipts for reimbursement to ensure they are not paying more than necessary. Students should be aware of certain services that a lot of school plans do not cover, such as specialist visits. For students using private insurance, one solution for circumventing the higher fees charged by the campus health center may be to go to a local doctor off-campus instead.

To learn more about health insurance for college students, click here. Thanks to Flickr for the picture.