Have questions about health insurance? We have answers to common questions about coverage benefits, plan costs, eligibility, enrollment and much more. Keep checking back, we’re continually adding to this list based on questions we’re receiving from students.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
IU has students from across the country and the globe, so it’s possible that we’re not in-network with your health plan. No worries though, you can still be seen at the Student Health Center. Just check out with one of our cashiers to get a billing statement you can use to submit to your health plan for reimbursement. Be sure to check the “out-of-network benefit” offered by your health plan prior to your appointment.
Don’t worry, any student enrolled at IU Bloomington can come to the Student Health Center. The student health fee will help lower your bill, which is due after each visit.
This all depends on your health insurance plan. If you do not understand details about your plan, speak to your parents or policy holder. If you are the policy holder, reach out to your insurer for more information.
If you are on one of the IU student plans, please visit the IU Human Resources website, call them at 812-856-4650, or email studenhc@iu.edu.
Again, no worries, enrolled students can request financial assistance by completing this form: Request for Financial Assistance. You will be allowed to carry a balance until we establish a plan with you to pay your bill.
No! If you have paid the student health fee, your insurance will not be billed. However, if you have not paid the student health fee, you will be charged. Depending on your insurance coverage, you may incur an out-of-pocket charge. If you don’t want your insurance billed due to privacy concerns, please let us know.
You may need to visit the Student Health Center at some point, but you may not want anyone to know that you visited and why you needed help. If this is the case, then we encourage you to not use your health insurance, if you are not the policy holder. The policy holder will be sent an Explanation of Benefits outlining the services rendered that day. If you wish to protect your privacy, then you must tell a Student Health Center cashier to not bill your insurance. We won’t know unless you tell us, so speak up and protect yourself. We will work with you to protect your privacy and to pay your bill.
The Student Health Fee continues to provide a wide range of benefits for you and for the campus. It is designed to lower your barrier to health care for not just your individual health, but also for the health of our campus community. By paying the student health fee, you are:
- Lowering out-of-pocket expenses for students needing care.
- Enhancing the benefits offered for both mental health and wellness services.
- Supporting students without insurance or with little to no financial support for much needed health care.
Our prices did increase for routine medical care, particularly for more complex and comprehensive office visits. However, when compared to local medical providers, including retail clinics like The Minute Clinic and The Little Clinic, our prices remain very low. Unlike our competitors, our prices take into consideration that we are not in-network with all insurers and that we have students without any insurance.
For those students with health insurance, the cost of your visit is determined by your health plan. We will bill your plan our standard rates, but our reimbursement and your out-of-pocket cost are both determined by your health plan. These charges will be applied to your plan’s deductible. Once your deductible is reached, then your plan benefits generally kick-in.
Although our lab will performed most tests, there are many tests that we’ll need to send to a reference lab. The Student Health Center’s reference lab is the IU Health Pathology Lab. For these tests, IU Health will automatically bill your health plan and you, if you are responsible for any portion.
Privacy and Lab Tests
Remember, If you want to protect your privacy and do not want certain lab tests billed to your health insurance, then you must let a cashier know. We have an arrangement where IU Health Pathology Lab will bill us for these lab tests so can protect your privacy. The Student Health Center will, in turn, bill you directly for those charges.
The Student Health Center Lab can’t perform every lab test that might be needed, so it will collect the lab specimen here and send it on to IU Health Pathology Lab to run the test. Most health plans prevent us from billing your insurance for any lab performed elsewhere. Lab tests must be billed by the lab that’s performing the test.
If you are self-pay, you will receive a separate bill from IU Health Pathology Lab for these tests.
IU Health Pathology Lab is a separate legal entity from Indiana University and the Student Health Center.
We can do most lab tests in-house, but we do not have equipment for every possible test. For the tests we can’t do in-house, we send to IU Pathology Lab in Indianapolis. Lab specimens can still be collected at the Student Health Center, even if the lab is being sent out.