Student Health Center Charges

What Does It Cost?

The mandatory, quarterly Counseling, Health and Wellness fee provides eligible students with unlimited access to the Student Health Center, without charge for office visits*.  We also provide free over the counter medications and some first aid supplies.

*Travel appointment office visits have a charge associated with them. Learn more on our Travel Information page.

Fees are charged to students for the following*:

  1. prescription medications dispensed at the Student Health Center
  2. equipment such as Ace wraps, splints, and braces
  3. lab tests
  4. special procedures such as laceration repair, biopsies, wound drainage, etc.

For details regarding charges, please see our Current Fee Schedule

*Except for students with Medicaid (Apple Health/Healthy Options) insurance. Because we can't bill patients with Medicaid insurance for services provided at the Student Health Center, we will refer them to in-network specialists/pharmacy/equipment providers off-campus so that the services will be paid for by insurance.

The Process

The charges you incur at the Student Health Center are billed to your Student Account. Charges are usually entered the weekday after your visit and will appear on your account by the afternoon of the weekday following your visit. The Student Health Center cannot accept payments. For payment options, please refer to the Student Business Office

If you incur charges during your Student Health Center visit, a PDF document with all of the necessary insurance coding will be emailed to your WWU email account the weekday after your visit or as close to that timeline as possible. The PDF document may be submitted to your insurance company for possible subscriber reimbursement.

We will ask you to sign a Consent to Accept Student Health Center Charges form and keep it in your chart. (Note: We don't ask those with Medicaid (Apple Health/Healthy Options) to sign this form)

Insurance

Kaiser: In-network; we bill Kaiser for you.

Kaiser members from outside of Whatcom County: Please call Kaiser at 1-800-446-4296 to request a Kaiser visiting member ID number to use while you're living in Bellingham. If you incur charges at the Student Health Center, we will bill Kaiser for you.

Apple Health / ProviderOne / Healthy Options (Medicaid): We have non-billing status with Medicaid plans. This means that we can't bill your Medicaid plan, but we can order things for you that will be done by off-campus service providers and pharmacies contracted with your insurance. We must have a copy of your current insurance card on file, so be sure to bring it with you to your appointment and present it to the receptionist.

These are the things we can do for you that your insurance will pay for (note that we don't charge for office visits):

  • Order any lab test that is sent out for processing (Quest Lab & Northwest Pathology, the two lab vendors we use, are both contracted with the Apple Health insurance carriers)
  • Order any testing outside of the Student Health Center (for example, imaging and cardiology testing) from an Apple Health contracted service provider
  • Refer to outside Medicaid contracted providers (specialists)
  • Write prescriptions for outside Medicaid contracted pharmacies
  • Write prescriptions for outside Medicaid contracted medical equipment suppliers (for braces, splints and the like)

WWU Student Insurance Plan - United Healthcare (UHC): In-network, but we don't submit claims for you. If you incur a charge at the Health Center, we will email a PDF document to you that has all of the necessary coding. You will need to submit the document directly to UHC claims for processing. Directions on how to submit a claim.

All Other Insurances: These are considered out-of-network. We don't submit claims for you. If you incur a charge, we will email to your WWU account a PDF document with all of the necessary coding you can use to submit a claim directly to your insurance company. You will need to contact your insurance company for specific instructions on how to submit a claim. Note that your benefit coverage might be less and your out of pocket costs greater because the Student Health Center is out-of-network.

Payment Options & Related Information

Student Business Office

Payments made to your student account are applied to outstanding charges in due date order. Financial Aid cannot be applied toward your Health Services Charges unless you have a completed Authorization for Miscellaneous Charges form on file with Student Accounts.

Confidential Information

The details of your visit to the Student Health Center do not appear on your student account or the billing statement. Your student account and billing statement will read as:

Health Service Charge             $ Amount Charged                Date billed

All details are kept at the Student Health Center and are confidential. We will not disclose your medical record, including information about charges, to others (including your parents if you are 18 years or older) unless you direct us to do so or unless the law authorizes or compels us to do so. You may see your record or get more information about it at the Student Health Center. Your written authorization is required for all disclosures.

Authorization to Release Medical Information form

Questions

Charge Details and Insurance Billing: Student Health Center 360-650-3400 or student.health@wwu.edu

Payments: Student Business Office – Old Main 110, 360-650-2865, or SBO@wwu.edu

For more information please read our Patient Rights and Responsibilities