MICHELLE HOFFMAN / Scroll
A student heads into the Student Health Center, located on the east side of the Kimball parking lot. The health center provides a staff of doctors and nurses, online help and a variety of services including a pharmacy.

Health Center works to keep students healthy with multiple services and insurance coverage

Susan Coss COS03002@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

A car is approaching the new roundabout. Unsure of how to use it, the driver on the inside lane makes an illegal lane change into another vehicle.

Boom! Sparks and car parts fly. But wait, the driver who was hit had health insurance from BYU-Idaho, so he is safe. The other driver had health insurance through another medical company and ended up paying more for the same care.

The reckless driver was unaware of the health care BYU-I provides and how he could have benefited from the service.

With Student Health Insurance, students have the opportunity to be seen by ER doctors and nurse practitioners for a fraction of the price they would have spent by going to a hospital outside of the Student Health Center.

Health insurance for students rises annually, about 13 percent, to keep up with the double-digit increase in overall health care around the nation, said Shaun Orr, Student Health Center administrator.

“Changes in health insurance costs were moderate during 1995 through 1997. In 1998 and 1999, costs began to rise slowly, reaching gains of nearly 6 percent by the fourth quarter of 1999,” according to www.bls.gov.

“During the period of moderate changes in health insurance costs in the mid-1990s, total benefit costs rose more rapidly than health insurance costs.

“Gains in health insurance costs began to outstrip those of all benefits during 1998 and 1999. Since 1999, the gap between health insurance costs and total benefit costs has widened, as health insurance costs began to rise sharply,” according to www.bls.gov.

Those with Student Health Insurance spend close to $202 per semester, for a single student, which is a little over $50 a month.

“If a student doesn’t have insurance at all, I think they should pay the extra dollar. Better safe than sorry,” said Craig Hicks, a sophomore from Etna, Calif.

Some students receive health care benefits through their parent’s insurance. Jane Sroufe, a junior from Lodi, Calif., is on her parent’s health insurance and said it’s easier for her to have then get insurance from the school.

“If I was paying for my health insurance and my parents weren’t helping me, I’d use the student health insurance,” Sroufe said.

Sroufe pays around $150 a month for her insurance, about $50 less than what one student can pay in a whole semester.

Other than low costs, students can go to the center for diagnostic x-ray, internal medicine, immunizations, specialty clinic, laboratory services, orthopedics, pediatrics and pharmacy.

“A visit to the health center runs about $6 and to see a doctor at another facility is about $100 and up, and to see a specialist costs $150 and up,” Orr said. “Of course the health center is subsidized by the school, allowing the price to be low.”

The Student Health Center is staffed with two nurses, two doctors, three practitioners and five staff members. Dr. Hans Redd and Dr. Jud Miller also both work in the ER of Madison Memorial Hospital.

“You can go to Madison and see the same doctors for a higher price. These doctors are great quality,” Orr said.

Students who are away from school, or on their off-track, and still under coverage, can go to any qualified medical provider to receive medical care.

When students graduate from BYU-I, they can no longer apply for the Student Health Insurance. But those still in school can learn more about Student Health Insurance at www.dmba.com.

Students who don’t need to visit the doctor can go online to www.byui.edu/healthcenter/quickhelp to find answers to mild health problems like common colds and headaches.

Students can call the Student Health Center at Ext. 1300.