Starting this academic school year, a $673 health insurance fee will automatically be added to most UNCW students’ tuition bills unless waived by the student. Students that already have health insurance are encouraged to log on to www.studentinsurance.com to waive the fee.

Students who have their own health insurance and wish to waive the automatic charges should log on to the web address mentioned above, click on the UNC System logo half way down the page, choose UNC Wilmington, then click “Waive Online” with the fall 2010 semester selected. Students who wish to enroll in the health insurance may do so on the same site.

Within three days the student will receive an email stating whether or not the waiver was approved. Once approved, the charges will be removed from the student’s tuition bill within one week.

Katrin Wesner, Director of The Student Health Center, explained that the mandatory insurance was put into place so that all UNCW students could have access to affordable coverage.

“The biggest reason (for instituting mandatory health insurance) is that students choose to delay or not get care,” said Wesner. “There have been cases where students have had to leave school because of the high cost of insurance. Now we have provided a robust plan at an affordable cost.”

There is some concern among students that the health insurance fee isn’t being widely publicized. Tom Gillespie, a senior business major at UNCW, says he was unaware of the automatic charges.

“I hadn’t heard anything about it,” said Gillespie. “I guess I should be looking more closely at my tuition bill.”

When asked if he thought other students could be making the same mistake, Gillespie replied, “I’m sure other students or parents are just paying their tuition like usual and not catching the new fee.”

Wesner explained that the Health Center has publicized the information regarding automatic health insurance since last spring. She noted that information was available through several emails to students, financial aid and student accounts newsletters, at student government meetings, on the Health Center website, and on 15 separate signs at an involvement fair last spring. Wesner says she also plans to email students once more before the September deadline.

As of Tuesday, 7,874 students have waived the health insurance fee; 651 students have elected to enroll in the provided insurance. That means between 4,000 and 5,000 students have not yet gone online to make a decision either way.

The absolute deadline for students to waive the fee is September 30. Wesner encourages students to go online and make the decision to waive the fee or enroll in the insurance, rather than let the charges automatically take effect.

“We want students to positively enroll for the health insurance,” Wesner said. Wesner expects 1,800 to make the choice to enroll.

The UNC Board of Governors voted for mandatory health insurance for all UNC system schools starting on Aug. 1. Health insurance is required for all undergraduates enrolled in at least six credit hours, graduate students enrolled in at least one credit hour, students enrolled in a degree seeking program, and students who are eligible to pay the health fee. Distance education and extension students will not be required to pay the fee.

Pearce & Pearce is the insurance provider for UNCW students. The annual premium is $336.50 for the fall semester and $336.50 for the spring semester. The insurance plan for students includes $1,000,000 maximum lifetime coverage, a $300 deductable (which covers prescriptions, wellness services, and immunizations), and no co-pays or deductibles at the Student Health Center.