At Iowa State, students may notice the Health Fee charge on their U-Bill. But where do the funds go? Among other charges, the $151 fee is assessed to all students except for some explained exceptions on the university website. A separate charge is the $3 Health Facility fee.
Thielen Student Health Center is the recipient of the funds.
“The health fees support Thielen Student Health Center, which offers primary care, physical therapy, psychiatry, pharmacy services, immunizations and more to students paying this fee,” Rachel Boenigk, director of student affairs administrative services, said.
According to Sara Parris, associate director of administrative services at Thielen Student Health Center, “It’s really hard as an independent practice without a hospital to make money just based on what services you bill. One of the common approaches is to have a health fee, and to offset that a little bit, we don’t bill for office visits.”
“The Health Fee for ISU students is determined by the Special Student Fee Committee and is charged per student on a semester basis,” Boenigk said.
According to the Iowa State website, students are divided into three groups for fee assessment: On-Campus, Temporarily Off-Campus and Distance Education Program.
On-Campus mostly applies to undergraduate and graduate students who attend class on campus, while Distance Education Program refers to fully online students. Temporarily Off-Campus refers to students who might be in an internship, co-op, student teaching opportunity or studying abroad.
The objective of the fee is driven towards the interest of all students, according to Parris.
“If we decide that we need to make an increase based on projected costs, then we’ll look to see what is the minimum amount that we can raise it,” Parris said. “We try really hard here to make sure that we are responsible stewards of student money and that we are providing the best care possible in an affordable manner.”
In reality, the fee keeps the Thielen Student Health Center doors open.
“The health fee counts for 68% of our revenue, so that’s a lot,” Parris said.
According to Parris, the $3 fee was previously allocated towards a bond that supported the building of the Thielen Student Health Center, but now serves other purposes.
Direct internal use of the funds might include maintenance, major HVAC work or upgrades for exam areas and laboratories.
“We are always looking to adapt to the newest practices,” Parris said.
Parris said planning for the future is happening currently, with a vendor specifically looking at work expected in the next 20 years. Recent service request history indicates HVAC issues experienced in the building.
Utilizing the available services is one way to optimize the required fees.
“With your fee of $151 per semester, an office visit, typically, at any other clinic would cost more than that,” Parris said.
Procedures such as x-ray testing will be billed to the patient and are not included in the office visit category. “The health fee definitely helps us keep [the pharmacy] in our building,” Parris said.
In the event of illness or non-emergency medical concerns, a visit to the Thielen Student Health Center is likely covered by payment of the fees.
Common services might include filling a prescription, seeing a provider, physical therapy, sexual health and mental health visits.
“It is important to have high-quality health care needs on campus so students can take advantage of these services to be well so they can make the most out of their academic experience,” Boenigk said.
For more information, visit the Student Health and Wellness website.
