FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who may be seen at the health center?

2. Where is the health center and when is it open?

7. If I am sick or injured, so that I need help getting to the health center, can TSHC personnel transport me? If not, what am I to do?

8. What about when Thagard is closed?

9. Who must show proof of health insurance?

10. Why is having health insurance important?

11. I am a nursing/medical student. Do you have needlestick coverage?

12. I have purchased the University sponsored health insurance .

A) Must I use Thagard Student Health Center?
B) I purchased the annual plan.
C) I purchased the fall only coverage.
D) I will be graduating in the spring.
E) I have changed my mind and do not want the health coverage.
F) My insurance card has not come
G) Can I get a temporary insurance card?

13. I am a nursing/medical student. Do you have needlestick coverage?

14. My student will be receiving financial aid. How is it used to pay the health insurance premium?

1. Who may be seen at the health center?

Enrolled FSU students; post doctoral fellows; visiting scholars; dependents (spouse and/or children over the age of 13) of enrolled FSU students, post doctoral fellows and visiting scholars; orientation students; TCC students who have the TCC/FSU card; participants in special programs or campers; and FSU faculty and staff (may access the travel clinic, nutrition clinic, the in-house physical therapy clinic, and the smoking cessation classes only). All other patients must be cleared through the Business Office prior to their first visit.

Definitions regarding patients of Thagard Student Health Center:
A. Enrolled Students – Part of the tuition and fees charged to students includes a health fee. A portion of this fee enables the Health Center to offer many services at free and reduced rates. Injury, illness and wellness visits are discounted over services abtained off campus. There is a no show fee for missed appointments.

B. Non-enrolled Students - A one semester window is available to former students. This window close at close of business the day prior to the subsequent semester beginning. Once the new semester begins, if not enrolled, you will need to find another health care provider.

C. Domestic Students - US citizens and resident aliens. Procedures for enrolled and non-enrolled students apply.

D. International Students - Any student in the United States on a visa from another country and undocumented aliens. International students are, by state and university regulations, required to show proof of health insurance that meets the state and Board of Governor’s guidelines for students with a J-1 visa. Procedures for enrolled and non-enrolled students apply.

E. Exchange Students - Exchange students are required by state and university regulations to purchase health insurance. Procedures for enrolled students apply.

F. TCC Students - Students of Tallahassee Community College are no longer routinely eligible for services at Thagard Student Health Center. Students with the TCC-FSU card may be seen on a fee-for-service basis. TCC students requiring physicals to participate in the Marching Chiefs may be seen for the physical only.

G. Post Doctoral Fellows and Visiting Scholars – Non-student foreign nationals in a valid non-immigrant status or domestic non-students, who are actively engaged in an academic activity or employment at Florida State University and who are otherwise ineligible for the employer group health plan. Post doctoral fellows and visiting scholars are eligible to purchase the University sponsored health insurance. Application must be made at the Health Compliance Office in Thagard Student Health Center and the premium must be paid in full at the time of purchase. Dependent spouse and children may also be insured.

H. Other Groups
1. Student spouses – The spouse of an enrolled or non-enrolled student is eligible to be seen at Thagard on a fee-for-service basis. If the individual has health insurance and provides the necessary information, the Thagard insurance billing office will file a claim with the insurance company for the individual to seek reimbursement for covered services.

2. Minor Dependents – Thagard does not provide healthcare services to minor dependents under the age of 13. Dependents of students age 13 and over may be seen at Thagard on a fee-for-service basis.

3. Campers, Campus Visitors, Special Programs – Individuals participating in residential or day camps on the FSU campus, campus visitors and participants in special programs are eligible to be seen at Thagard Student Health Center for minor injuries and illnesses. Campers and/or visitors under the age of 18 must have a signed consent for treatment from a parent or legal guardian. Campers and campus visitors are seen on a fee-for-service basis. Special Program participants who have the student health insurance will be seen on a fee-for-service basis with the charges billed to the insurance carrier.

4. Faculty/Staff – FSU faculty and staff are eligible to access the travel clinic, the physical therapy clinic, and the smoking cessation programs at Thagard on a fee-for-service basis.

5. Dual Enrolled Students – Student enrolled in programs from FSU and another university (i.e., engineering, pharmacy, business, nursing) are eligible to be seen at Thagard. They will be seen as any other enrolled FSU student except for FAMU students. FAMU students must use the health clinic at FAMU.

6. Student Interns – These students are typically from other universities and may be seen on a fee-for-service basis.

7. University Counseling Center Doctoral Interns – UCC Doctoral interns may access services at Thagard. UCC doctoral interns may purchase the university sponsored visiting scholar health insurance plan for themselves and their eligible dependents. They are seen on a fee-for service basis.

2. Where is the health center and when is it open?

Thagard Student Health Center is south of Oglesby Union, adjacent to the Bellamy Business Building, west of Strozier Library, north of Montgomery Hall and Parking Garage #2. The street address is 109 Collegiate Loop. Hours of operation are 8-4, Monday through Saturday. The health center is not open on Saturdays during the summer.

3. What about parking?

Students with appointments at Thagard Student Health Center may park in the gated lot just south of the health center during their appointments only. Make sure to complete the parking form provided by the attendant. The space on the south side of the building is for emergency vehicle parking only.

4. How do I make an appointment?

Call the Central Appointment Unit (CAU) at 850-644-4567. The CAU will try to schedule your appointment within 48 hours of your call. Arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. No show charges are assessed for missed appointments or for appointments not cancelled at least 30 minutes before the scheduled appointment time in the Garnet and Gold Clinics. Specialty clinic appointments must be cancelled by 4:00pm the day prior to the scheduled appointment.

Walk-ins meeting the criteria for urgent care outlined below will be seen immediately. Walk-ins must check in at the Information Desk in the first floor lobby. Emergency/urgent care guidelines: excessive bleeding, vomiting to the point where you cannot keep liquids down, difficulty breathing, chest pain, temperature of 101 degrees or more, extremely swollen throat or a possibly fractured bone.

Make sure to bring your FSU ID and your health insurance card with you every time you have an appointment in the health center.

Appointments in the Physical Therapy clinic are scheduled separately. Call 850-644-0570 to schedule an appointment with physical therapy. Students with the school sponsored health insurance must have a referral for appointments in the physical therapy clinic.

5. What does an appointment cost?

It depends on the services provided and your insurance coverage. Thagard, conveniently located on campus, provides a variety of quality services at discounted prices. There is no need to pay for services at the time of your visit. Bring your insurance card with you at the time of your appointment and we will file your insurance claim for you. Any unpaid balances may be placed on your student account for future payment. There is a no show fee for missed appointments. No show charges are also assessed for appointments not cancelled at least 30 minutes before the scheduled appointment time in the Garnet and Gold Clinics. Specialty clinic appointments must be cancelled by 4:00pm the day prior to the scheduled appointment. The lab accepts over 100 different insurance plans for their services. The in-house lab is Quest. United HealthCare directs their insured to use LabCorps. There are several LabCorps Labs in Tallahassee. Appointments in the Physical Therapy Clinic are scheduled and billed separately. The Physical Therapy Clinic is a contracted vendor doing business in the health center. Deductibles, co-insurance and plan maximums apply to appointments in the Physical Therapy Clinic, including the student BCBSFl insurance.

6. How do I pay for services?

Thagard accepts the following as payment for services: cash, check, credit card (American Express, Discover, FSU Card, MasterCard, or VISA), money order, University-sponsored insurance, Aetna Health Insurance and Florida BCBS ppo, federal and state employee plans.

Other Health Insurance plans will be billed showing Thagard as an out-of-network provider for your charges at the Health Center. If your insurance company does not reimburse Thagard for the billed amount, the charges remaining after reimbursement will be posted to your student account at Student Financial Services. Those charges must be paid at Student Financial Services, UCA1500, or on line at fees.fsu.edu or through your Blackboard account.

If you do not have health insurance, you will be asked to pay at the time of service or to defer the charges to your student account at Student Financial Services. Those charges must be paid at UCA1500 or on line at fees.fsu.edu or through your Blackboard account.

CHP patients, TRICARE patients and BCBS HMO insureds may be seen in Thagard Student Health Center, however, those carriers will not reimburse for services rendered. BCBS HMO insureds may apply through their plan for an away from home plan with CHP.

7. If I am sick or injured so that I need help getting to the health center, can TSHC personnel transport me? If not, what am I to do?

TSHC staff cannot transport students to or from the health center to any location on campus or off campus. FSU PD and the FSU First Responders can transport to and from on-campus locations only. If you are on campus, see if another student or friend can bring you to the health center OR contact FSU Police, 644-1234. The FSU Police Department will transport the student or contact the FSU First Responders and request transport.

If you are so sick or injured that an ambulance is required, call 911 for an ambulance to take you to one of the two local hospital emergency rooms.

8. What about when Thagard is closed?

All students may use the two hospitals’ emergency rooms when Thagard is closed. The $350 ER co-pay for students with the University sponsored health insurance is waived when the health center is closed or if the student is admitted to the hospital.

After-hours care for students with the University-sponsored health insurance is Patients’ First. There are six locations around town and you may be seen at any one of them for urgent care for a co-pay of $50. Telephone numbers and clinic locations can be found in the yellow pages of the telephone directory.

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9. Who must show proof of health insurance?

All international students as defined in paragraph 1 above as well as international post doctoral fellows and visiting scholars on a J-1 or F-1 visa are required to show proof of health insurance comparable to the health insurance plan offered for FSU students. The dependents of individuals with J-1 visas are also required to be insured, per federal regulations.

International students will not be permitted to register for classes until proof of comparable health insurance has been entered in the on-line health insurance database. To meet the insurance requirement, international students, post doctoral fellows and visiting scholars may purchase the University sponsored health insurance. Students may purchase the health insurance on line. Click on the Insurance Information button above to either enter your insurance information or purchase the University sponsored health insurance. Insurance purchased outside of the University must cover the same dates that the University sponsored plan covers. For term dates, click on the “Premiums and Coverage Dates for 2009-2010” button above. Post doctoral fellows and visiting scholars may purchase the University sponsored health insurance at the Health Compliance Office, room 135 or 138, at Thagard. A minimum of two months of coverage must be purchased at any one time for post doctoral fellows and visiting scholars.

International students covered under a spouse’s employee medical plan may not meet the comparable coverage requirements. International students must be covered for evacuation to their home country if an illness or injury requires return to their home country for treatment and for repatriation of the student’s remains to their home country should the student die. Evacuation and repatriation coverage may be purchased separately to meet the insurance requirements for international students. Contact the Health Compliance Office in Thagard.

If the employer’s medical plan does provide evacuation and repatriation coverage as required by federal, state, Board of Trustee and FSU regulations, yes, it is sufficient.

10. Why is having health insurance important?

Health insurance provides protection for the unexpected illnesses and injuries that can interrupt your education and takes care of the expenses for routine health care. Part of our mission at the health center is to insure that students at Florida State have the opportunity to optimize their entire university educational experience through good health. Students without health insurance often neglect their health or defer their health care because of the expense. No student should have to decide between continuing an education or paying a medical bill.

11. I am a nursing/medical student. Do you have needlestick coverage?

Needlestick coverage is available. The application is available through the School of Nursing or the College of Medicine.

12. I have purchased the University sponsored health insurance.

A. Must I use Thagard Student Health Center?
TSHC is your primary health care provider under the University sponsored health insurance plan and should be your first stop for routine wellness and health care for illnesses and injuries. The health plan no longer requires a referral for specialty services outside the health center. The plan is structured for you to have one covered wellness visit outside the health center per year. Visits to providers outside the health center are subject to the deductible and co-insurance payments. Always call 911 for a life threatening illness or injury.

B. I purchased the annual plan.
1) I have paid the first half of my premium but my parents have secured other health insurance for me. Do I still have to pay the second premium payment? Yes. The plan for annual coverage is an annual plan. The payment has been split in half to allow the debt to be spread between the fall and spring semesters. The plan cancellation policy states that the insurance plan will not be cancelled if other insurance is secured during the coverage period. What can happen if other coverage is secured is that the student health insurance becomes secondary coverage. Charges that are not covered by the primary plan may be submitted to the secondary carrier for reimbursement. Under no circumstances can claims be filed to two carriers for reimbursement of the same charges.
2) I have withdrawn from FSU. Do I have to pay the second half of the annual premium payment?
a) If you withdraw from FSU up to the 31st calendar day of the term, you are not eligible to be covered by the school sponsored health insurance plan. If you have filed any claims against the insurance plan, the premium less any paid claims may be returned to you. This is not automatic. You must request cancellation of the plan and reimbursement of the premium to you. At that time, the charge for the second half of the annual premium will be removed from your account at student financial services. If you have already paid the annual premium in full, a refund will be processed for you.
b) If you withdraw from FSU after the 31st calendar day of the term, you have met the eligibility requirement to be insured by the plan. The full premium must be paid. The health compliance office can assist you in finding providers so that you can use the plan away from campus.

C. I purchased the fall only coverage.
1) I have withdrawn from FSU. Do I have to pay for my health insurance coverage?
a) If you withdraw from FSU up to the 31st calendar day of the term, you are not eligible to be covered by the school sponsored health insurance plan. If you have paid your premium and filed any claims against the insurance plan, the premium less any paid claims may be returned to you..This is not automatic. You must request cancellation of the plan and reimbursement of the premium to you. If you have not yet paid the premium and have made claims against the policy, the claims will be denied and you will have to pay the provider(s) for the charges you have incurred.
b) If you withdraw from FSU after the 31st calendar day of the term, you have met one of the eligibility requirements to be insured by the plan. The fall premium must be paid. The health compliance office can assist you in finding providers so that you can use the plan away from campus.
2) I am graduating in December. Can I purchase the spring/summer coverage? If you are graduating, you may contact Collegiate Risk Management (CRM), our insurance broker, at 850-644-4250 or 800-922-3420, for short term plans. The FSU Alumni Association also has health plans for graduates. Visit their website at www.alumni.fsu.edu. Click on “Membership Info” and then “Membership Benefits” and scroll down to “Insurance”. Currently alumni have a choice of two companies: Collegiate Insurance Resources and Liberty Mutual. Phone numbers for the companies are listed for convenience.

D. I will be graduating in the spring and do not want to purchase the spring/summer coverage. Can I purchase coverage for spring only?
No, spring only coverage is not an option with the school sponsored health insurance plan. Consider that most students do not have immediate health coverage even if they are immediately employed upon graduation. This coverage provides an affordable safety net while you are looking for work or waiting for enrollment in your employer paid plan to begin, a waiting period that can typically be 90 days.

E. I have changed my mind and do not want the student health insurance. Can I cancel my purchase?
That depends on when you selected your coverage. Open enrollment for the summer only, annual and fall only coverage typically opens in March. Open enrollment for spring/summer opens in October. You have 30 days from the day you select the plan to change or cancel your purchase. For example, if you select coverage on April 3, you have until May 3 to change or cancel the plan. If you select the plan in April and change your mind when you receive the invoice for payment in July, that is too late. You are insured and the premium must be paid.

F. What about dental and vision coverage? The University sponsored plans do not provide for dental coverage. You may contact Collegiate Risk Management at 850-644-4250 or 800-922-3420 for assistance with dental insurance or dental discount plans. Please review the BlueOptions value-added programs & services publication posted on the insurance information page of this website for information about vision care and many other benefits available through the University sponsored plans.

G. Can I get a temporary insurance card? If it has been at least two weeks since you purchased your plan and the school term has begun, log into the screen where you purchased your plan. If a policy number has been assigned to you, you will see a button to print a temporary card. If you cannot print a card, contact the Health Compliance Office for assistance at 850-644-3608.Back to Top

13. I am a nursing/medical student. Do you have needlestick coverage?

Needlestick coverage is included in the basic, comprehensive and international student plans available on line from BCBSFl. BCBSFl is currently working on securing a stand-alone needlestick plan for our students who have other health coverage and who need only the needlestick plan. When the needlestick plan becomes available, it will be announced on this web site.

14. My student will be receiving financial aid. How is it used to pay the health insurance premium?

When a student receives financial aid (grants, scholarships, prepaid, loans, etc.), that money all goes into the student’s account at student financial services. Tuition is paid from that account first. All other charges are paid on a first in, first paid basis. The student who has purchased the student health insurance has the insurance premium “in line” for payment from the funds in the student account at student financial services. Depending on where the insurance premium is “in line” to be paid from the student’s financial aid, the premium may be paid in full, in part or not at all. If the premium is paid in full by financial aid, the student has no out of pocket expense for insurance. Once all of a student’s bills are paid, any money remaining on the student’s account at student financial services is transferred to the student either by EFT to the student’s Suntrust account or by check to the local mailing address the student has on file. If there are bills remaining to be paid when the financial aid is exhausted, then the remaining charges are the student’s responsibility. Any other charges posted to the student’s account after the remaining financial aid money has been disbursed to the student must be paid by the student before the student will be allowed to register for the ensuing term.