In order to ensure that every student has a safe and healthy college experience, the University of Tampa requires full-time and international students to pay for health insurance through the university. The main objective in requiring all students to be covered under one insurance plan is to ensure every student has equal opportunity to healthcare, and no one falls through the cracks, according to the UT website. Often times, if a student is sick and does not seek treatment, a larger part of campus can also be affected. While many outside insurance plans can change or fall through, this plan does not.
If for some reason the health center cannot treat you there, they may issue you a referral. These referrals can be used anywhere off campus that accepts United Health Care. To ensure proper coverage, you must see the health center first to receive a specific referral. This helps to reduce out-of-pocket fees for students, and for a nurse practitioner to determine if seeing a specialist is actually necessary. Exceptions to the referral rule include: medical emergencies if you are 25 miles away from UT, if the Health Center is closed or if you need maternity and gynecological care.
Gina Firth, Associate Dean of Wellness believes that the school’s insurance policy plays a positive role in campus life at UT.
“It is understood that there are local students who have providers set in the area. I can speak to that directly, as I have two daughters here at UT. I pay monthly for our family plan that they are covered under, but we also have to pay the student health fee. I do so gratefully, and have benefitted financially, as we use the student health insurance as secondary when off campus, which pays for co-pays and services that are not fully covered under our family plan. The health fee has paid for itself many times over,” Firth said.
The Dickey Health and Wellness Center offers a variety of services to students right here on campus. These services include treatment of acute illnesses and injuries, immunizations, allergy injections and over-the-counter medications which are available at a low cost.
“For students who have been waived from our student insurance, access to on-campus services, especially counseling and psychiatric services, would be directly out of pocket, which would be expensive. In cases of emergency mental health situations, this is not ideal,” Firth said.
Katie Pennewill, a sophomore sport management major, got a first hand experience of the health center’s services during her first year at UT.
“I had a really good experience with the health center last year; I got a bad ear ache and decided to go to the health center to get it check out,” said Pennewill. “During my appointment I found out that it was an ear infection and as a result was prescribed some drops to heal it.”
Pennewill’s prescription was not completely covered by the student insurance policy. She had to pay an additional 20 dollars.
In addition to the aforementioned services, the Dickey Health and Wellness Center offers birth control. Students can choose between oral contraceptives or the Depo Provera injection. In order to receive birth control, they will need to make an appointment, and a nurse practitioner will determine the best type of birth control for her needs.
The health center also occasionally holds “Well Women” days. During these events, female students have the chance to receive a one hour examination that includes a review of past medical history, a gynecological physical and breast exam, an advanced STD screening, a diagnostic evaluation for vaginal yeast or bacteria, a urinalysis and a thin prep pap for women over 21 years old.
Both male and female students are fully covered once per year for an STD screening for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis and HIV (although HIV testing is not available at the Health Center.)
Not only does the health center provide the students at UT with physical health treatment, but it also offers a counseling program.
This program provides students with the chance to have up to six sessions that last 45 minutes of individual counseling, in addition to appointments regarding medication. The program also offers group counseling sessions, however, the topics of these sessions vary per semester.The health fees are $350 per semester (or $750 per school year). Considering that price it is important to know what services are accessible to you. For more information students can contact The Dickey Health and Wellness center. Their hours are Monday-Thursday: 8:30 A.M.-5:00 P.M. and Friday: 9:30 A.M.-4:00 P.M.
Jesse Long can be reached at jesse.long@spartans.ut.edu
Brianna Kwasnik can be reached at brianna.kwasnik@spartans.ut.edu