About Student Health Services

Frequently Asked Questions


I pay a health fee on my UNCG bill each semester. How is health insurance different from that?

If you are enrolled for nine or more on-campus credit hours, you are required to pay a student health fee. It is not insurance. This fee covers the basic care offered at Student Health Services, including Medical Clinic, Sports Medicine Clinic and Women’s Health Clinic office visits. Charges for laboratory procedures, x-rays and prescriptions are provided at a discounted cost. Your student health fee also pays for wellness programs to enhance your personal health and well-being.

Health insurance offsets the cost of services not covered under the student health fee. It also gives students access to services not available on the UNCG campus and covers a portion of the cost for services not provided at the Student Health Services, such as hospitalization, required surgery or specialty services for illnesses or injuries.

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Why is UNCG requiring health insurance?

Unexpected health care expenses such as those associated with unexpected illness, accidents, or mental health care can destabilize a student’s financial situation and derail his/her progress toward a degree. These potential barriers to attendance and degree completion are reduced when students have health insurance. Conversely, students without health insurance who do not have access to needed specialty care or hospitalization may attempt to continue their academic pursuits but fail to reach their full potential due to their untreated illness.

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I am covered already by health insurance. What do I need to do so I don't get billed?

Students who are already covered by an insurance policy (i.e. through parent plans, family plans, employer-sponsored plans, or student health insurance), submit their insurance policy number for verification through a secure website. The charge will be removed from the student’s bill once their policy is verified.

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Do I have to verify my insurance each semester?

Yes. When students register for classes they will simply verify their insurance policy information using the online verification page.

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I worry about identity theft. Why do I have to provide my private information?

We understand that concern. This is why Pearce & Pearce, the designated agent of record for the UNC system’s domestic student health insurance "hard waiver" plan, will not sell our students' information to anyone, including direct mail marketing vendors. They also use the most stringent, HIPAA-compliant web security currently available. Great care is taken to minimize the potential for security breaches that might lead to fraud or other malicious use of personal information. The university also takes steps to protect student information. All data transfer processes go through rigorous review by the campus Banner Security committee. No data can be transferred to or from the university without this committee's approval. (Our thanks to Mary Griffin, Nursing Ph.D. student, for bringing this concern to our attention.)

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What happens when I graduate before the plan ends?

When a student graduates, they are no longer eligible to be seen by Student Health Services, however they are still covered by the Student Health Insurance until the expiration date of their plan. Due to being ineligible, the student will not have to receive a referral before being seen by a community physician.

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Commonly Used Health Insurance Terms

Deductible
A deductible is the amount of out-of-pocket expenses the insured person (you) must pay for health services before benefits become payable by the insurance carrier.
Co-Payments
Co-payments are payments made by the insured person (you) toward the cost of a particular benefit. For example, the current student insurance plan requires a $10 co-pay for each office visit for services received outside the UNCG Student Health Services. An emergency room visit has a $150 co-pay. This discourages students from making inappropriate medical visits out in the local community.
Coinsurance
Coinsurance means the insured person (you) and the insurance carrier share costs according to a specified ratio (e.g. 80%: 20%) of the hospital or medical expenses resulting from a sickness or injury.
Covered Illness/Sickness
A covered illness/sickness is any disease, infection, or condition other than injury that is first treated or diagnosed by a doctor on or after the effective date of coverage under the insurance plan, unless pre-existing condition waivers apply.
Covered Injury
A covered injury is an accidental body injury that causes loss - directly and independently of all other causes - and is sustained on or after the effective date of coverage under the plan, unless pre-existing condition waivers apply.
PPO
PPO stands for Preferred Provider Organization. These are networks formed from different health care providers and facilities who agree to accept a discounted payment level for charges incurred by patients insured under a plan with that specific PPO. The campus-endorsed plan uses MedCost as their PPO because it has the highest number of providers and facilities in their network.
Pre-Existing Condition
A pre-existing condition is an injury, illness, or pregnancy for which medical care or treatment or diagnosis or medical advice was received or recommended or medication was prescribed prior to the effective date of the insured person’s coverage under the insurance plan. The current student insurance plan limits pre-existing conditions to within six months prior to the plan effective date.
Referral
A referral happens when students require services that cannot be provided in the UNCG Student Health Services. The Student Health Services staff arranges the referral with service providers in the student insurance’s PPO network, if possible.

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Page updated: 03-Nov-2009

Accessibility Policy

Student Health Services
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Anna M. Gove Student Health Center, 107 Gray Drive 27412
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
VOICE 336.334.5340
FAX 336.334.5343