With the recent passing of the Affordable Care Act, some university health centers are being forced to adjust their fees because of changes under the preventative care portion of the act, which lists several preventative medications and measures that are covered under universal health care.
The Elon University R.N. Ellington Health and Counseling Center will not be accepting students' health insurance in the near future, but will continue charging students a health fee of $55.
For a university to become "in-network," allowing students to use their health insurance coverage at the health center, the university must fill out paperwork for the various insurance companies.
"What the problem is, is getting the providers approved for all the plans, hundreds of different ones for all of the students," said Jim Hawkins, university physician and medial director. "One central clearing house, for one set of paperwork — then it would be easy. Every company or every state has different plans, and plans within plans."
There are some companies, such as Vivature, that universities can choose to outsource this paperwork to.
"We spent a year and a half looking into it," Hawkins said. "We found a very good company, but what they were asking was extremely expensive, so right now, that is on hold."
Despite the cost, Glenn Egelman, chief medical officer of Vivature Health, said there are benefits to outsourcing paperwork.
"Affordable heath care is new, but what I can tell you from clients is that students now view them as real doctors because they take insurance and went through the credential process," he said. "Parents are thrilled because parents and students who had bills are now taken care of."
Financial issues such as health insurance coverage are steering students off campus, Egelman said. But Hawkins said he has seen no significant decrease in the number of students visiting the health center.
"Ever since fall break we have been so busy we can barely get by," he said. "It is easier for students to see us than an outside provider. If you need a specialist and you call to see them, and you are not a patient of theirs, it takes weeks. If I call first, they see you right away. We are a gateway."
When sophomore Allison D'Amora recently visited the health center with a sprained ankle, she found the waiting room was not as busy as she expected.
"All three times I have been, it hasn't been crazy," she said. "I went in September and early October so flu season hadn't hit yet."
The health center served as a "gateway" for D'Amora to other providers when she went to have an X-ray done on her foot.
"I went to a center in Alamance and only had a five minute wait," she said. "I had the sheet from Health Services and I walked right in after they took paperwork."
With flu season right around the corner, the health center will be getting busier, even though it offered flu shots at the beginning of the semester for $15.
This is a cost that could have been avoided had the Heath Center been "in-network" and accepted student's health insurance.
"I did not want to pay for it," said freshman Yasmine Arrington, who didn't get a flu shot on campus. "Where I can get a flu shot for free back home in D.C. at the children's hospital, they accept my health insurance"