Insurance and Billing

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors implemented a mandatory student health insurance requirement for all 16 campuses in the University of North Carolina system.  

Students who are enrolled in six or more on-campus credit hours (in the classroom) must provide proof of credible and verifiable health insurance coverage in order to avoid having the Student Blue health insurance premium (Accident and Sickness) charged to their account.

Students who do not provide proof of verifiable health insurance coverage before the waiver deadline will be enrolled automatically in the university-sponsored student health insurance plan (Student Blue) and will be responsible for the premium billed for the semester.

Note: Students enrolled only in Distance Education courses are not eligible for health insurance and therefore are not required to submit a waiver.

Undergraduate students are eligible if they are:

• Enrolled in a degree-seeking program, and
• Enrolled in six or more on-campus credit hours, and
• Eligible to pay the university Student Health fee

Graduate students are eligible if they are:

• Enrolled in a degree-seeking program, and
• Enrolled in six or more on-campus credit hours, and
• Eligible to pay the university Student Health fee

The Fall enrollment deadline is September 11, and the Spring enrollment deadline is January 31. 

If these conditions apply to you, you must provide proof that you have credible health insurance coverage each semester you are enrolled by submitting an insurance waiver to Student Blue. The verification of insurance waivers will be processed by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Once approved, the university will be notified. If you fail to complete this process by the deadline date, you will be automatically enrolled and charged the premium.

The UNC System Student Health Insurance Plan (Student Blue) premium will appear on your student account once you register for courses and if you meet all of the required criteria. The insurance premium can be removed or waived from the account by submitting an online waiver (Waive) by the posted deadline. Be aware that if you fail to waive coverage, the premium for SHIP is non-refundable after the posted deadline each semester. If you wish to enroll in SHIP (Enroll), we encourage you to do so during open enrollment. This will allow you to receive an insurance card as soon as possible.

Please note: If you neither waive nor enroll in Student Health Insurance Program by the posted deadline, you will automatically be enrolled after the posted deadline. The insurance premium is non-refundable after this deadline. The 2023–2024 premium (per semester) is $1,392.40.

Visit the Student Blue website for more information on plan benefits. 

Medical

The Student Health Center (not including the pharmacy) is considered an in-network provider for the following plans:  Blue Cross Blue, UNC System Student Health Insurance Plan (Student Blue), and North Carolina Medicaid only. We are considered out-of-network for all other plans. Students who have other insurance plans will have to file claims to their insurance plan for reimbursement. Please note that we will bill for all services rendered, so if your insurance is out of network, charges are the student’s responsibility and will be added to your student account.

We are currently negotiating with other major health insurance plans for in-network status — Check back soon!

Pharmacy

For prescriptions, our pharmacy accepts outside insurance plans and will file prescription drug claims on your behalf with a current prescription card. You may contact the pharmacy to ask if they accept your insurance plan.

Privacy

To protect your privacy, we will not post medical details on your student account. We will give you an itemized statement upon request. When you use your health insurance, the policyholder (the main person on the health insurance plan) may receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from the insurance company. The EOB lists the services you received, how much the insurance paid, and the amount (if any) that you are responsible for. You can decide at each appointment whether to use your insurance for that visit. Note: If you choose not to use your insurance, you will need to notify the nurse and/or provider at the time of your service.