Starting with the 2021-2022 school year, Wheaton College has decided to simplify and encourage visits to Student Health Services by eliminating per visit charges. We will also continue our policy of not charging per visit for Counseling Services. Instead, a non-refundable $130 Health & Wellness Fee per semester will be charged to the student account of every degree-seeking undergraduate* student attending classes on the main Wheaton College campus, except F1 VISA students who already incur a mandatory medical insurance charge.
This fee will also help ensure that the College has the human resources to continue providing access to low-cost, high-quality counseling and medical care when needed, rather than charging a $45 first time visit fee and subsequent $30 per visit fee. The fee does not cover medications, lab tests, lab drawing fee, immunizations, allergy injections, medical supplies, and minor medical procedures. We are sharing information about this change now in order to be transparent about the new fee structure.
*Graduate students will have the ability to opt-in to the Health and Wellness Fee each semester. Graduate students who do not opt-in will continue to pay the current per visit fee to see a doctor or a nurse practitioner at Student Health Services and will pay a new per visit fee to see a Counselor.
FAQs
I am an F-1 visa international student enrolled in the Lewermark Accident and Illness plan. Will I be charged a Health & Wellness Fee? No. F-1 visa students (required to enroll in the Lewermark plan) will not pay the Health & Wellness fee. The Lewermark plan will continue to provide enrolled students with access to the same campus related health services (doctor/nurse practitioner visits at Student Health Services and counselor visits at the Counseling Center) and associated costs.
I am a domestic degree seeking undergraduate student from the U.S. or a student with a U.S. passport. What kind of health and wellness services does the Health & Wellness Fee provide for domestic undergraduate student? The Health & Wellness fee provides access to see a nurse practitioner or a doctor in Student Health Services and/or a counselor in the Counseling Center.
I am a domestic degree seeking undergraduate student from the U.S. or a student with a U.S. passport. Do I also need a particular type of health insurance to access health and wellness services? No. All domestic undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens may access a doctor or a nurse practitioner in Student Health Services and a counselor in the Counseling Center.
Will engineering and nursing students be charged the Health & Wellness Fee? Since engineering and nursing students live on campus or are active on campus even while taking courses on other campuses, they will be charged the Health & Wellness Fee.
I am participating in an off-campus program (i.e., HNGR, Wheaton in Chicago, Study Abroad, etc.). Will I be billed a Health & Wellness fee? No.
I am a degree seeking graduate student taking semester long classes on campus and do not plan to utilize Student Health Services or the Counseling Center in any way. Will I be charged a Health & Wellness Fee? Because graduate student utilization of Student Health and Counseling services is substantially lower than that of undergraduate students, degree seeking graduate students taking classes on campus will not be automatically charged a Health & Wellness fee but may opt-in to the Health & Wellness Fee for access to Student Health and Counseling providers.
I am a graduate student who does not plan to opt-in to the Health & Wellness Fee. What happens if I later need to utilize Student Health Services or the Counseling Center? Graduate students who do not opt-in, then later need services, will be able to access Student Health or Counseling services by paying a per-visit fee.
I am a graduate student who will remain entirely remote for my program. Will I be charged a Health & Wellness Fee? No.
I am an undergraduate degree seeking student who lives at home with established health care providers outside of Wheaton College. Am I required to pay the Health & Wellness Fee? Yes. We have found that students from the local area use the resources at Student Health Services and the Counseling Center for ease of accessibility, college-age focused care, and specific services offered. All students contributing to the Health & Wellness Fee support the continued resources for the whole student body.
I am an undergraduate degree seeking student who has permission to live off campus. Am I required to pay the Health & Wellness Fee? Yes. We have found that students who live off campus use the resources at Student Health Services and the Counseling Center, in part because of the accessibility of the services, and in part, because their health insurance may not provide adequate coverage outside their permanent home address.
What are some of the potential charges a student may incur at Student Health Services beyond seeing a doctor or a nurse practitioner? Examples of billed items include medications, lab tests, lab drawing fee, immunizations, allergy injections, medical supplies, and some minor medical procedures.
Will I receive a statement detailing any additional expenses incurred at Student Health Services that I can submit to insurance for reimbursement? All students will receive an itemized statement in their College Post Office box or at their local address after a visit to SHS that may be submitted to their personal insurance carrier for reimbursement consideration.
Is SHS able to direct bill my personal health insurance for any charges? SHS is only able to direct bill the student’s personal insurance carrier when processing medical test samples that must be done by a lab outside Wheaton College. Quest Diagnostics is the laboratory of choice for the processing of most lab test samples collected by SHS. The costs associated with processing medical test samples can be billed to the student’s personal health plan through the Quest billing system. Billing student’s personal health plan is not an automatic procedure; a nurse will ask a student before the test is performed which billing method is preferred by the student. The not-for-profit pricing at SHS is only available when SHS bills the charges to the student’s Wheaton College account. Prices for tests billed to the student’s personal insurance is established between the insurance company and Quest.
Does paying the Health & Wellness fee mean that I can have unlimited access to Counseling and Student Health Services? No. Wheaton College clinicians providing the service will utilize clinical judgment in determining the appropriate frequency and duration of mental health or medical treatment. This determination will be based on best practices as well as current legal and ethical standards. Chronic health conditions may necessitate a student being referred for some or all of the health care needs to be addressed by a specialist off-campus.
If you have questions about what is covered and what is not covered by the Health & Wellness Fee, please see this Health & Wellness Fee Poster for details or feel free to call 630-752-5072, email student.health.services@wheaton.edu , or stop by SHS in person to ask!