MSUM student clinic to begin insurance billing for office visits

MOORHEAD – A billing change next month at Minnesota State University Moorhead’s clinic could boost revenues without passing along big increases in what students pay for health care.

Beginning Jan. 14, MSUM will start billing students’ health plans for an office visit, said Carol Grimm, the school’s director of health and wellness, who also oversees the Hendrix Clinic and Counseling Center.

Students pay a maximum of $65 per semester in student fees to support the clinic, an amount Grimm said doesn’t cover even half of a regular office visit to a doctor at a private clinic.

MSUM has required students to have health insurance for the past five years, she said.

Grimm said the change means students who see the clinic’s physician or one of its nurse practitioners will be charged for the cost of an office visit.

The student’s insurance company would pay the bulk of the charge, usually leaving the student with a co-pay of $15 or $20, she said.

Students still will be able to see a nurse or a counselor for no charge, she said.

Even after the change, the clinic will likely be a more affordable option than private clinics because MSUM is able to set lower fees for office visits, Grimm said.

She said the clinic needed to make the change because of rising health care costs, more students using the services and an enrollment decline. It’s something MSUM officials have been looking at for the past year, with student input from MSUM’s student health and wellness advisory committee.

If students have questions about the upcoming change, they can contact Grimm at (218) 477-2327.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Ryan Johnson at (701) 241-5587

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