Insurance and Cost of Health Care
#Cost of Health Care
- Appel Health Services currently uses a billing administrator, Vivature Health, which manages contracts with several major insurance carriers including Humana, USHealth Care, and AG administrators. Student insurance billing is handled by Vivature and students are not balance billed regardless of type of insurance. There are no co-pays required of students.
- Health and Counseling Services will continue to provide high-quality health care to all eligible students regardless of their health insurance status or ability to pay. Appel Health Services does NOT bill for counseling services.
- The only items which require payment up front at the time of service are medications, oral contraceptives, Department of Health labwork and medical equipment.
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Health Services refers students who need treatment or services beyond what we provide to outside specialists or hospitals. Students or their parents are responsible for all costs incurred outside the College's health center. Your insurance plan may cover all or part of these costs.
Insurance
Health insurance is required for F&M students. All students are charged a $50.00 Health Services fee with their tuition. The comprehensive and health fees do not include health insurance for illness, accidents, or athletic injuries. The college provides a student insurance policy that is required for students without other adequate insurance. This policy is also recommended for students intending to participate in varsity, club, or intramural sports or as a primary supplementary policy for those with managed care insurance whose away-from-home benefits provide insufficient coverage.
Enrollment forms and waivers are sent to each student over the summer. The college sponsored plan may be waived if proof of adequate away-from-home coverage is provided. By waiving out of the plan, however, the basic athletic accident coverage is also waived.
Students should know basic information about their insurance coverage and have an insurance card to present if the need for emergency or outpatient care arises. A copy of both sides of the card should be provided to AHS and updated every semester. Those who have waived the supplementary policy and are insured by managed care or an HMO should know the approval process required if services not available on campus are needed. It has been our experience that some students have been forced to return home to receive non-emergency outpatient care. Others have needed to identify a primary care physician in Lancaster. Some managed care companies participate only with specific laboratories or outpatient facilities. The need to investigate coverage requirements at a time when the doctor recommends outpatient procedures often results in unfortunate delays in treatment.
Additional information is available from the policy administrator Hulse/QM, phone number: (800) 766-7090 or (800) 287-0285. For enrollment/waiver questions, call (800) 433-2042 extension 2.
Revised August 2012
- Revised August 2012
