On Aug. 14 2009, the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors approved an implemented hard waiver student health insurance requirement. Any student meeting three criteria is required to show evidence of existing health insurance or enroll in the UNC system plan.
If student can prove they have their own insurance, the deadline for students to cancel the school wide insurance is Sept. 30.
April Hawkins, a student health insurance associate, said waiving the insurance will be a process students have to go through each semester.
“Each semester, students will have to go in and take some action,” Hawkins said.
According to Hawkins, if there’s something the Health Center cannot do they would refer students to a doctor that accepts their insurance, but students must pay a $150 deductable.
“Insurance pays at 80 percent and students are responsible for 20 percent. There is a $2,000 cap, and if students begin to reach this, the insurance company will begin paying at 100 percent.
“If students come to student health center, they get the most out of their benefits.”
According to Hawkins, students who are undergraduate students enrolled in a degree-seeking program with a minimum of six credit hours and graduate students enrolled in a degree-seeking program with a minimum of one credit hour, are eligible to pay the Student Health fee.
“Students will be charged with the Student Health fee of $372 automatically as a part of the mandate, if they meet the criteria,” Hawkins said.
According to Hawkins, students will have a chance to get their money back.
“There is an appeal period from Oct. 1 to Oct. 14. We will review them individually to see if we can refund the money,” Hawkins said.
According to Hawkins, multiple parties oversee insurance plan, including the Board of Governors.
“Each university handles their own policy through the Pearce and Pearce Corporation,” Hawkins said.
To cancel the insurance, students need to complete an online waiver form showing they do have other health insurance, Hawkins said. Pearce and Pearce verify the request and send a report to University Cashiers Office. If the student is waived, the University removes the charge.
Pierre Griffin, a freshman in biochemistry, said the policy doesn’t bother him.
“I understand that those are the rules [having to cancel by a certain date] and you have to abide by them.”
Shadasia Edgerton, a freshman in the transition program, said the University is doing a good job notifying students.
“My advisor told me how to cancel the insurance, but I think it is a good idea that the University has insurance,” Edgerton said.
Julian Dalton, a sophomore in mechanical and aerospace engineering, said an affiliate spoke to him about the health policy.
“I’m in IRC, so we had an affiliate come in and talk to us about the health policy, and he showed us how to do everything. Some people don’t want the extra charge, but the University is making sure they keep the students healthy.”
For more information about the student health plan can be found at ncsu.edu/student_health.
