We’ve covered almost everything from learning the bus routes to transferring course credit, now let’s finally get into the fun stuff: health insurance.
Have your final months of freedom been cut short by incessant messages from the University? Join the club. If you’re like me and ignore 90 percent of your emails, then this information on health insurance could be vital. (Get it? Vital?)
The first thing you should know is that you need health insurance, even if you don’t want it. At UNC, all eligible students, meaning degree-seeking undergraduates with a minimum of six credit hours, are required to have health insurance.
Through Student Blue, the University provides its own coverage for students with the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). This year the plan’s rates cost $1,293.88 per semester.
All eligible students must either pay the premium and enroll in SHIP or complete and submit the online waiver with their own credible insurance coverage before the deadline on September 10. Sending your insurance information directly to the University will not suffice. You must submit the waiver online at Student Blue.
Student Blue offers coverage for office visits, preventative care, urgent care centers, substance abuse services, emergency procedures, prescription drugs, mental health services and vision care among others. Coverage varies depending on whether you visit a doctor that is either in or out of the Student Blue network. For a full list of Student Blue’s benefits, go here.
Whether you choose to enroll or waive, the process can still be tricky. First, find one of the many emails you have received about the University’s health insurance policy. It should contain a link to Student Blue. For the more proactive readers, here’s the link.
Since you all are incoming first-years or transfer students, you will need to register as a new user. Luckily, you won’t have to remember more username-password combinations because you register using your PID and date of birth.
From there, you can choose the option to enroll or waive (ask your mom). If you decide to waive, you will need your current insurance information including insurer name, phone, policy number, and proof of coverage (ask your mom).
