Health Services Fee

Proposal to Increase Fee

CSUDH has launched an Alternative Consultation Process to gather campus feedback on a proposed $55/semester increase to the Health Services Fee. If approved, the Health Services Fee would become $130/semester effective Fall 2021.

The proposed fee change would be used to support and expand Student Psychological Services’ capacity to meet the growing mental health needs of our students. In the 15 years since the Health Services Fee was last increased, the demand for mental health services has risen year after year. CSUDH responded by expanding psychological services and resources, unfunded.

An adjustment to the Health Services Fee will allow for the hiring of more counselors, increased outreach efforts, and enhanced training programs, ensuring that every student in need is able to take advantage of the entire range of CSUDH's psychological health services.

Open Campus Forums (via Zoom)

Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 1 p.m.

Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 4 p.m.

Comments regarding the proposed fee increase can also be emailed to HSFIncrease@csudh.edu.

FAQ
How much is the current Health Services Fee?
The current Student Health Service Fee is $75/semester for all students.
How much would the Health Services Fee change?
The proposal is to change the Student Health Service Fee to $130 per semester beginning in fall 2021, an increase of $55 per semester. The proposal is also to tie any future increases to the Higher Education Price Index.
When will the fee increase take effect?
The fee increase will be effective with registration for the Fall 2021 term.
When was the last time the Health Service Fee was adjusted?
The last time CSUDH had a health services fee adjustment was 15 years ago, in 2006.
If the Health Services Fee goes into effect, what changes can I expect to see?
With the additional dollars the adjustment would allow Psychological Services to expand its offerings, by hiring more psychologist/counselors, providing opportunities for student employment, providing after-hours services, more mental health outreach, and additional campus training.
What will happen if the Health Services Fee adjustment is not implemented?
If the health services fee is not adjusted, the health services deficit would grow by approximately $800,000 annually. Operating in red, we would not be able to expand needed psychological health services or add new counselors. Students would continue to experience long wait times for appointments with counselors, which already can be between a five to seven week wait. Finally, we would have to reduce our outreach programming, increasing the likelihood that the first contact a student has with a mental health professional is when they are in crisis.
How does our Health Services Fee compare to other CSU campuses?
Currently, we have among the lowest fees in the system. The new fee would still be below the system average. View the CSU system fee rates.
How many students used the Student Psychological Services last year?
In 2019-2020, Student Psychological Services saw 1,007 unique students for a total of 5,167 scheduled appointments. In addition, we provided mental health outreach, workshops and training events to 10,076 members of the campus community.
Why do students pay a Health Services Fee?
California State University Executive Order 943 and Executive Order 1053 require campuses to provide basic psychological health and healthcare services. However, these are unfunded mandates that are not covered by state support or tuition dollars.

Without health fees, we could not maintain on-campus medical or psychological services. Student fee funding for health services is a CSU-wide practice. One semester’s health fees are less than a single visit to a health care provider off campus for uninsured students.
I have health insurance. Why can't it be used to offset the fee?
Regulations prohibit double-billing students. Because students pay for health fees, these services cannot also be billed to an insurance company ( CSU Executive Order 943).

If CSUDH began to bill insurance companies, we would have to charge the exact same amount for services for both insured and non-insured students. Services currently free for students would become billable.

Also, if CSUDH became a provider for insurance companies, we would have to open our health services to the general public.
What is a Category II fee?
Category II fees are mandatory campus fees that must be paid in order for a student to attend the university. The CSU Board of Trustees determines the category of fees.
Can I opt out of the fee?
Because it is a Category II fee, all students are required to pay the Health Services Fee.
Why should I have to pay for services I do not or might not need to use? Why can't we just charge students each time they use Student Health Services or Student Psychological Services?
Student Psychological Services actually includes more than just individual and group therapy. Surprisingly, you may not know that you have benefited from our services. Beyond traditional forms of therapy, we offer classroom workshops, club and organization presentations, training experiences, faculty consulting, and online health tools. We strive to increase awareness about mental health for the entire campus community and work diligently to ensure that all students have access to a variety of tools needed for wellness. Paying the fee ensures that we can maintain and improve the health and wellness of our campus community.
How many psychologists will be hired with this new fee?
The additional fee will allow Student Psychological Services to hire four additional psychologists, expand its education and outreach efforts, and provide educational and internship experiences for students.
Why is CSUDH doing an alternative consultation instead of a referendum?
A referendum does not provide the same opportunities for students to voice their opinions and provide feedback. An alternative consultation allows students to engage in the process prior to the President’s final decision.
Which student groups will be involved in the process?
As many student groups as possible will be included in the consultation.
Will there be open forums for anyone to attend?
Yes, there will be three open forums. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
How do I voice my opinion?
Students can give their feedback about the fee adjustment on or before February 19, 2021 by:
- Providing feedback verbally or in the chat during any of the Zoom open forums held for students.
- Submitting feedback electronically at HSFIncrease@csudh.edu.
What is the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI)?
HEPI is useful as an overall measure of inflation affecting colleges and universities. Because the cost of health care is continuously increasing, indexing can gradually adjust the fee at regular intervals and eliminate the need to drastically increase the fee in the future. In our case, it means we will increase the fee by $7 per year.
Will students supported by scholarships and Financial Aid receive more to cover the increased fee?
Financial Aid awards can be used toward cost of attendance. When the increased fee goes into effect, it will be included within that cost of attendance. Whether or not a student receives more aid depends on individual eligibility.

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